On Monday, November 24, DPS received about thirty 911 calls in just under ten minutes reporting a wrong-way vehicle at Union Hills and I-17 beginning at 10:51 p.m. The vehicle was traveling northbound in the southbound traffic lanes of I-17 within the HOV lane.
A DPS officer entered southbound I-17 at Carefree and immediately began a traffic-break in order to slow vehicles down. While conducting the traffic break, the officer was able to get into a good position [nearly head-on] and struck the wrong-way vehicle’s left side with his patrol car. The wrong-way vehicle spun around across several traffic lanes before it rolled to a stop with further assistance from the same officer by 11:00 p.m.
The driver, 44 year-old Carmelina F. Long, was taken into custody for a DUI investigation. Long was booked into the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Jail for aggravated assault, endangerment and criminal damage.
I-17 was reopened at 2:50 a.m.