Lyft driver found guilty of DUI in Mission District
By Tim Fang
Click here for updates on this story
SAN FRANCISCO, California (KPIX) — A jury in San Francisco has convicted a Lyft driver of driving under the influence following an incident in the city’s Mission District last year, prosecutors said.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ office announced Thursday that 44-year-old Fernando Capeletti was found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or greater.
“Driving under the influence is illegal, dangerous and deadly. My office takes these cases seriously and will continue to do everything we can to make our roads safer,” Jenkins said in a statement.
Capeletti was arrested following a collision at 16th and Valencia Streets on Sep. 4. Around 5 p.m. that day, multiple people called 911 to report a Lyft driver who had exited his vehicle and fought others walking on the sidewalk, prosecutors said.
When police arrived, they found the driver, later identified as Capeletti, standing in the middle of the street outside of the Roxie Theatre, next to his Lexus SUV. The vehicle had what was described as “extensive damage.”
Witnesses stated that Capeletti had parked on a red curb behind a motorcycle. As he attempted to drive off, he knocked over the motorcycle, which led to bystanders yelling at him.
Capeletti drove his Lexus for a short distance and parked the SUV in the middle of the street. Prosecutors said he then got into an altercation with the people who were yelling at him, which turned physical.
As Capeletti tried to leave in the vehicle, prosecutors said a passerby had removed the keys. He continued to argue with other bystanders until officers arrived.
According to prosecutors, Capeletti told police that he was picking up a passenger, that the damage had occurred earlier in the day, and he denied consuming alcohol or knocking the motorcycle over. Tests taken at nearby Mission Station showed his blood alcohol content was 0.20% and 0.19%, more than twice the legal limit.
“It is unacceptable that a Lyft driver, responsible for transporting members of the San Francisco community, was driving under the influence of alcohol with a Blood Alcohol Level over 2.5 times the legal limit,” said Assistant District Attorney Donovan Campos-Coolbaugh, who prosecuted the case.
Prosecutors did not say when Capeletti would be sentenced.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
