Man Pleads Not Guilty to Fleeing From DUI Checkpoint

A 51-year-old man pleaded not guilty Friday to driving drunk when he allegedly refused to stop at a police DUI checkpoint, crashed into a concrete median, then struggled with officers who tried to arrest him.

Anthony Gerald Jenkins is charged with felony charges of evading police and resisting arrest, and misdemeanor counts of drunken driving and driving on a suspended license.

The charges stem from July 26, when Desert Hot Springs police operated a DUI and drivers’ license checkpoint in the 13-700 block of Palm Drive.

About 12:30 a.m., Jenkins was driving a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta and allegedly failed to stop, according to police.

Officers chased the Jetta to Cactus Drive and Hacienda Avenue, where it crashed into a concrete median.

Jenkins allegedly ran away but was taken into custody following a struggle, according to police.

No officers were injured.

Jenkins is free on $5,000 bail.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock