Driver in accident arrested for DUI

The driver of the pickup truck that hit a pedestrian over the weekend had been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

According to Department of Public Safety spokesperson Adrian Pangelinan, responding officer at the scene last Saturday morning got a whiff of what smelled like alcohol coming from Vincent Agulto, 28, the driver of the Toyota Tacoma that collided with the pedestrian.

After failing a sobriety test, DPS officers immediately arrested Agulto and brought him to the Department of Corrections.

A source from the Departments of Corrections said that Agulto had already been released from DOC custody as of yesterday.

Per standard procedure, DUI cases are treated as traffic cases and are released after 12 hours. Because the incident had no fatalities, the standard procedure was followed.

A DPS press release said that police officers were called to respond to an auto-pedestrian collision in Puerto Rico, Saipan at about 5:29am last Saturday.

At the scene, officers saw a red pickup truck on the northbound outer lane with extensive damage to the front portion of the vehicle and an injured pedestrian on the ground beneath the front portion of the vehicle. The victim, identified in the DPS release as a 22-year-old, local male, was then transported the to the Commonwealth Health Center to be admitted for observation.

After detecting a strong odor of alcohol from Agulto, officers at the scene administered a Standard Field Sobriety Test on him, after which he was arrested and taken to DPS for further DUI processing.

As of yesterday, the pedestrian is responsive and remains at CHC for observation. Meanwhile, the crash is still under investigation.

According to Saipan Tribune archives, Agulto told responding Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services officers that it was dark and he did not see the pedestrian walking. The victim in the video appeared to be wearing dark-colored clothes.

DFEMS said the pedestrian sustained a laceration/puncture to the back of his head, abrasions on his lower back, a broken right ankle, abrasions on his forehead, a lacerated chin, abrasions on his left arm, and abrasions on both knees.

In its report, DFEMS officers said the pedestrian was pinned face down under the front end of the vehicle and was breathing. The DFEMS officers slightly lifted the front of the pickup truck while another put the vehicle on reverse to free the pedestrian.