A man thought to have drunkenly crashed a vehicle that badly injured his passenger was in custody Sunday, authorities said.
Jesus Rodriguez, 27, of Pomona, was arrested during an investigation into the injuries of a man who was found lying in the parking lot of Claremont Toyota, 508 Auto Center Drive, about 8:45 p.m.
Arriving officers found Rodriguez near a Chevrolet Blazer and a 34-year-old man lying about 40 yeards away, Claremont police Lt. Karlan Bennett wrote in a news release.
The injured man had suffered major trauma to his head; he was a passenger in the Chevy, police said.
Though an airlift was requested, the weather and lighting conditions did not permit a helicopter crew to fly out there, a firefighter told Patch.
He was instead taken by ambulance to a trauma center, the firefighter said.
Investigators determined Rodriguez was driving under the influence of alcohol when the crash occurred, the lieutenant said.
He was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI causing injury and driving without a license.
He was booked at the Claremont City Jail and was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail, police said.
The Claremont Police Department Major Accident Investigation Team and Detective Bureau were investigating the cause of the collision, police said.
