Wrong-Way Driver Arrested On DUI, Gun Charges In Petaluma: Police

PETALUMA, CA — A Sonoma man was arrested Tuesday night in Petaluma when officers were sent to investigate reports of a wrong-way driver on Petaluma Boulevard North, police said.

A citizen called police at 10:14 p.m. and said the driver of a green Chevrolet pickup truck was driving northbound in the southbound lanes of Petaluma Boulevard North near Old Redwood Highway, the Petaluma Police Department said in a news release.

Officers saw the truck parked at the 7- Eleven on Old Redwood Highway North. The suspect, later identified as 21-year-old Justin Robert Ring, was standing outside of the truck with a beer in his hand and smoking a cigarette, police said.

"Based on Ring acknowledging he was drinking alcohol and his poor performance during field sobriety tests, he was arrested for DUI," police said.

In a search of Ring's truck, officers found a loaded handgun and a rifle.

After Ring had his blood drawn at a local hospital for evidence in the DUI investigation, he was taken to Sonoma County Jail.

Ring was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, carrying loaded firearms in public, and carrying a concealed weapon, police said.

His guns were seized and booked into evidence.

Police thanked the community members who reported Ring's driving and said their actions may have saved someone's life.