VEHICLE NARROWLY MISSES CALIFORNIA OFFICER NEAR CHECKPOINT

A Redding Police Department sobriety checkpoint ended badly Friday night when an 84-year-old man sideswiped a patrol car and narrowly missed hitting an officer on North Market Street. Redding officers screened 845 drivers and administered 10 field sobriety tests at the checkpoint between 6:30 and 10:30 p.m. on North Market Street, said Sgt. Michael Thomas of the Redding Police Traffic Unit.

One arrest was made for driving under the influence. Nine drivers were cited for traffic violations, five of them for driving with a suspended license, he said. As the checkpoint was being shut down, a truck drove through at an unsafe speed. Officer Mike DiMatteo pulled the truck over on North Market Street. His patrol car was parked behind the truck with its emergency lights on.

As he walked up to speak to the driver, a car driven by 84-year-old Harry Larson sideswiped the car and nearly struck DiMatteo, Thomas said.

Larson, of Redding, was found to have been drinking, but was not under the influence.