Glendale man arrested in SLO for driving under influence of whippets
Parking officer reports man huffing whippets in Marsh garage
– San Luis Obispo police arrested a Glendale man Sunday evening after he allegedly fled from officers following a report of substance abuse inside a city parking structure.
A City of San Luis Obispo parking enforcement officer contacted dispatch on Sunday afternoon to report a man inhaling nitrous oxide, known as “whippets,” inside a vehicle at the Marsh Street parking garage. The man left the garage but returned hours later. Upon seeing the officer again, he drove out of the garage.
San Luis Obispo Police Department patrol officers located the vehicle on Broad Street and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. The driver, identified as Nathaniel Lee, 23, of Glendale, nearly collided with a police sergeant’s vehicle. Officers discontinued the pursuit for safety reasons.
Police monitored Lee’s vehicle from a distance without lights or sirens as he drove from Broad Street to Tank Farm Road, then to South Higuera Street. During this time, officers observed Lee throwing several large black canisters from his vehicle.
Lee drove into the Pacific Coast Center, a dead-end parking lot, where he attempted to turn his vehicle around by nearly driving over a curb. He discarded another black canister before exiting the vehicle. Patrol officers took him into custody without further incident at approximately 7:45 p.m.
Police arrested and booked Lee on suspicion of felony evading a peace officer under California Vehicle Code 2800.2(a) and misdemeanor driving under the influence under California Vehicle Code 23152.
