The Anchorage Police Department report that it was with the help of the public that they were able to apprehend a DUI driver  w3ho had rolled his vehicle at the ramp at O’Malley and the New Seward Highway on Saturday evening.

At 7:55 pm on Saturday APD dispatch received a call reporting that a vehicle had rolled on the ramp in South Anchorage. As officers were responding to the scene, dispatch was also advised that the driver of the vehicle was running away from the crash scene on foot.

Officers were searching the scene, they were waved down by a man who was at the location standing with another man. That man told police that the man standing next to him was the driver of the vehicle who had run from the crash and hid in the bushes at Brayton Drive and Thuja Avenue.

Patrol officers contacted the man and identified him as 21-year-old Blake R. McBirney. They found that McBirney had an active warrant for his arrest. As they patted down the suspect they detected the strong odor of alcohol and initiated field sobriety testing.

A second officer arrived at the arrest area and reported that she had spoken to three witnesses at the scene that said they had seen McBirney just prior to the crash and were able to identify him in a line-up if needed.

McBirney was arrested on the warrant and charged with DUI, Leaving the Scene of a Crash, Criminal Mischief and cited for Driving While license Suspended.

He was transported to the Anchorage Jail. While being booked there, McBirney refused to give a breath sample and so was charged with Refusal as well.

  blake, crash, dui, fleeing, mcbirney, new seward, o’malley, rollover, warrant