More than 2,100 impaired drivers arrested in Minnesota over the holidays

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (KFGO) – Law enforcement officers across Minnesota arrested 2,170 impaired drivers during a holiday extra enforcement campaign. Officers from 296 agencies took part.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) says an impaired driver cut around a school bus with its stop arm extended as kids stood nearby. Another driver was arrested for their sixth DWI offense.

One driver had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.357 — more than four times the legal limit to drive. These were just some of the alarming arrests law enforcement made during the statewide DWI enforcement campaign Nov. 26 through the end of December.

These efforts were coordinated by the Office of Traffic Safety using National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds.

“Every arrest represents a crash that didn’t happen, or a dangerous driver stopped before someone was hurt,” said OTS Director Mike Hanson. “I am grateful to the 296 participating law enforcement agencies and the individual officers, deputies and troopers whose work is making a difference and saving lives.”

More than 24 of the agencies reported stops involving drivers with a BAC over 0.30.

Arrest highlights:

In Eagan, officers were called to a fight between two people in a vehicle. The driver had a 0.357 BAC. Officers also discovered stolen tools, computer equipment and other suspicious items inside the vehicle.
Spring Lake Park police arrested a driver for 0.14 BAC and charged the person with child endangerment. Officers say the impaired driver was returning home with their children from a choir concert.
A Columbia Heights officer was kicked in the chest during a stop with an impaired driver.
St. Paul police arrested a driver with a BAC of 0.12 on Holman Field Airport runway. He didn’t even know he was on the runway.
South St. Paul police stopped one driver for impaired driving twice in a one-week period.

Highest BAC in Outstate Minnesota: