A man with more than a dozen prior arrests was arrested again for driving under the influence after a suburban Riverside police officer spotted him driving a car without front tires.
Marco A. Nieves, 46, was driving well below the speed limit as he passed an officer Sunday morning at 4:06 a.m., according to Riverside police. Nieves’ car had heavy front-end damage and was also throwing sparks in the air.
Investigators said when the officer approached Nieves, Nieves told him he had been involved an accident but could not remember the location. The officer smelled a strong odor of alcohol coming from Nieves’ mouth.
Nieves performed field sobriety tests and failed all of them, according to the Riverside Police Department.
Officers said Nieves had struck a pole at the intersection of Harlem and Cermak in North Riverside and then fled the scene before being stopped by police.
While checking Nieves’ background, investigators discovered he was already suspended for a prior DUI offense from Aug. 22.
The Chicago man has a criminal history that includes 19 prior arrests and convictions including theft, assault, obstruction of justice, burglary, and various traffic offenses, according to Riverside police.
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Nieves faces several charges including aggravated driving while under the influence, driving with unsafe tires, and for failure to report an accident.
