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1 Huntington Beach Bar, 22 Months, 72 DUI Arrests
Photo by jorizaga via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
Do the drunks make the bar? In Huntington Beach, the city with the most DUI arrests in the state, one bar is now the subject of an investigation because of their "excessive problem with alcohol-related issues spilling over to the city's streets," according to the LA Times.Over a period of 22 months, 72 patrons from the Baja Sharkeez bar were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving--the highest number from bars in the area, as logged by arresting officers, who ask the motorists they pull over where they were drinking.
Driving under the influence is a big problem in Huntington Beach; the city "ranked No. 1 among California cities of its size in per-capita alcohol-related traffic collisions in 2009," reports the Independent. Last month, the City Council rejected a proposal to post photos of DUI arrestees on Facebook as part of a public "shaming," deterrent plan.
HB's Police Chief, Ken Small, asked for the investigation into Sharkeez late last year, when he wrote a letter to a state official. "The numbers are a reflection of Sharkeez' careless outlook on the danger of drunk driving," Small said in his letter, according to the Independent.
The owner of Sharkeez disputes the connection between his bar and DUI arrests. "What happens on the highway, we cannot control," he said.
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