PACIFIC BEACH (CBS 8) – A priest was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving Friday night after driving his car through an apartment building in Pacific Beach.
The accident occurred in 4200 block of Jewell Street around 7:30p.m. Parishioners told News 8 that the priest was a leader at Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church, located on that street.
The impact of the crash was so severe that the car plowed through a garage, a wall, and one apartment, before coming to rest on a wall on the other side of the building.
Nobody inside was injured.
Parishioners said they were stunned to witness the church leader's arrest.
San Diego Police said the priest lived in a building next door and was apparently trying to move his car when he slammed the accelerator.
The most-seriously damaged apartment was red-tagged, meaning it's uninhabitable. The rest of the building was yellow-tagged and structural engineers were on the scene to assess whether the car could be safely removed from the building.
One family was temporarily relocated for the night with the help of the Red Cross. The other residents in the building were allowed to remain in their homes.