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SFMTA via AP
Police arrested a man Thursday after he drove his SUV onto the train tracks of the San Francisco Metro, shutting it down for 2 hours.
SAN FRANCISCO – Police arrested the driver of an SUV after he headed straight down a tunnel into the San Francisco subway system, causing massive delays during Thursday morning’s commute.
Muni Metro spokesman Paul Rose told NBCBayArea. com in San Francisco the vehicle drove into a tunnel on Church Street shortly before 6 a.m. Thursday and headed east toward the Van Ness Station.
The SUV stopped when it got stuck on the tracks, police said.
Police say 40-year-old Scott Mitchell of Sebastopol, Calif., was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, failure to obey a stop sign and driving on train tracks.
"It appears he just drove into the tunnel and his vehicle got stuck when it hit a concrete step," Officer Albie Esparza told The Associated Press. "We believe he was under the influence of alcohol. It's very fortunate that nobody was injured."
San Francisco P.D. via AP
Scott Mitchell, 40, of Sebastapol, Calif., was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence over allegations he shut down San Francisco's subway system for more than two hours after driving his SUV onto the underground tracks, police said.
No trains were involved, police said.
Witnesses said the driver was traveling about 40 mph when he drove into the the tunnel.
"The whole thing was very surreal," Randall Gerstbacher told the San Francisco Chronicle.
All underground train lines were shut down for hours while crews removed the vehicle and inspected the system, according to San Francisco newspapers.
Trains resumed service by 8:15 a.m., but service was slow moving.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
Leave a Comment:
The things people do , never cease to amaze you.....this was a good one.....
Most SUV owners aren't very smart (if they were they'd have made a smarter purchase) so I guess this goes with the territory. Nothing new here...
I like that one, but I always thought it was some sort of Macho complex, you know Mine is bigger than yours.
wouldnt suprise me in the least if it was attempted suicide.
Idiot. Should be sentenced to pick up trash in subway tunnels.
Oh go blow it out your backside and pound sand, thisguy. I get so sick of you petulant SUV haters out there frothing at the mouth. What, you think your cute little my-fart-doesn't-smell Prius is going to tow my boat or dual axle travel trailer and carry my wife, kids, dogs, and baggage? Is your cute little feel good diesel Jetta is going to take my riding lawn mower to the shop or bring home a cord of firewood? Can you load up 7 friends and go to a guys night out in your cutsie little Corolla?
All of ^^those^^ things I just mentioned I use my SUV for, and then some. That's practical to me, sport. What is smart for YOU may not be PRACTICAL for others. Now go wet your bed while this SUV owner burns a BUTTLOAD of gas (and can afford it if it hits $10/gallon). I love upsetting you people.
thisguy,
At least we SUV drivers are smart enough to pull you Prius driving S.O.B.'s out of ditches for nothing but a thank-you after it snows two inches....
Rick,
I agree with you in part, but you're wrong... A subway trumps an SUV every time... Remember the rule of the road..Errr track: TONNAGE RULES....
If he was driving a Prius or Volt he could have used the 3rd rail to power his car.
Hybrids, FTW.
no kidding by bronco gets 32mpg max on the highway using a v8 302FI and has a lot of utility options added including dual gun racks that i use for fishing poles and guns as well as a lot of fuel saving options the only time my bronco wastes gas is when I'm using the 4X4 because the bearings in the front gears are almost toast. i also don't have a problem when i drive as i still have a clean driving record and actually pay attention to my surroundings, i have however noticed the jerks with their fancy little cars driving like they own the road always switching lanes without signaling and cutting people off. the reason i got a large truck/SUV is because i needed a rig that would get real work done and have room to spare and is also big enuf for the yuppies to notice while they are driving while using their cell phones or texting and when the weather gets really bad others depend on me to help them because I'm usually the only one who can when helps needed.
Sorry guys but best bumper sticker I've ever seen was on a Hummer.
It just said .... "Small D*ck"
Kind of says it all doesn't it? Something tells me the owner didn't put it there.
Have never owned an SUV but have always driven a full size Cadillac. I want protection on the road and something that will respond quickly. Too many self absorbed nitwits think that the driver's seat is their living room shoving burgers down their throats, yakking on the phone, putting on mascara and like our star in this story, driving under the influence of something. Glad no one was hurt and hope his next vehicle is a skateboard.
Three cheeseburgers, two large fries, two chocolate shakes and a large coke...and some flatjacks
no the jokes on you the bumper sticker was intentional but the owner is a woman, it kinda makes you go what the heck?! doesn't it?
If this were a woman, her suicide attempt (NOTE : attempt, because women commit suicide at 1/5 the rate of men) would launch a campaign of sympathy, and she would not even appear in court.
Because a man drove the SUV into a tunnel, he will be known as risky and stupid. And he will appear in court, serve some jail time and pay a fine.
Was his last name Schettino? Was he going to work on a cruise ship?
I'd like to see him charged with a felony, so he won't have to worry about a vehicle, a doctor, rent, or groceries for a few years.
I like how they said he was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol. really? Either a drug (alcohol is also a drug) was involved or this man had serious mental illness going on. As one person here said, probably a suicide attempt because he couldnt go through with it any other way. If they did a small background story on this guy, there may be a bigger picture. Who knows
They should have let Darwin finish the job.
A train would have shredded his SUV into little bits.
.
Just when I though Florida was pasting California in wacky things, this happens.
Okay, okay, my friends and I did a few dumb things during our college party days but THIS GUY takes the cake! (or is it the train tracks?)
why would drugs or alcohol be involved? If he was black or other, it wouldn't be suggested. Also, I would love to see this guy go against the St. Charles Streetcar (if you know anything about New Orleans, you would know what I am talking about. It would lose.
thisguy you a pampas arrogant narcissist with your gas guzzling Prius. If you were a serious environmentalist you would ride a motorcycle that get upwards of 50 miles per gallon. See someone can always look down on someone else.
no get a vintage 1964 Honda trail 90 ct200 with semi auto transmission and 6v battery they get a max of 180MPG but only go 56MPH(also good for preventing speeding tickets as well) and have options for fishing and hunting as well and don't take up much space and can be easily fixed if needed with a few tools. also the gas mileage is stated in a repair manual.
Cheech and Chong lives.
And an inevitable Darwin Award nominee of the future.....
This guy has been playing way too much GTA IV.
Might get a Darwin Award honorable mention.
He should had 4 wheel drive to get over the step
Hey hey hey he had his bart pass so quit jer bitchin
This has to be Obama's fault too! ;-)
yes it is because hes an idiot to
No I think that you ARE the idiot or just a hater.
viper its "too" not "to". Idiot.
@viper623 "too" not "to". Who's the idiot? lol
two much
The Italian Job!!
If he'd been driving a Mini he might have made it.
This is a gem of a story. thk vine
California.........the land of fruits and nuts. Anything goes! LOL
shortcut
There is a Y*utube video of a similar situation in Germany a few years back:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1yhum3xMzk
I think most of the U.S. systems don't have rails flush with the roadbed with the exception of Seattle. So the guy in San Francisco must have had a rough ride!
Nothing like being drunk @ 6am....WTF///??
i get drunk in the mornin, i get stoned in the afternoon...
Drunk at 6:30am? Because he's married 24 hours a day.
He might have been drunk but he certainly is stupid. With over 300 million of us in the US, some have to be born stupid.
Go easy on the poor drunk. He's not nearly as stupid as those who continue to support the corporate thug republicans, and there's MILLIONS of them.
Way to go Scott. You're mother will have so much to talk about at the hair salon this month - that is if she can ever show her face again.
LOL, good one Nancy!
How did the captain of Costa Concordia end up in San Francisco?
Someone driving into a dark tunnel in San Francisco. Go figure.
BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!
denver bill,
That was kinda a stinky comment..... LOL
He was upset Santorum won in Iowa
Nothing wrong here alcohol is legal. legalize other drugs too, so we can see this idiots more often.
Recalculating!
DUI.....Ya think!!???
His GPS hasn't updated in years!
Hey maybe the guy was late and trying a shortcut!
Less stupid than you might think. The tram line transitions from surface streets to the tunnel at an intersection. Make a left turn without noticing the wrong way signs and you're in the tunnel and can't back out. I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often.
This was probably a suicide. If a woman did it, any attending police officers would receive a commendation for saving her life. Since a man did it, he will be jailed.
You left out not noticing the fact that you're Driving. On. Train. Tracks. That's not just stupid, that's You Fail Driver's Ed. Forever. "Damn this road is so hard to drive on with these train tracks under my car."