San Diego County deputy arrested for driving vehicle through military base gate, officials say

A San Diego County sheriff’s deputy was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after driving through the main gate of a military base Friday night without stopping, the sheriff’s department said. The incident occurred at Naval Base Coronado.

sergeant. Michael Cruz, who has worked for the sheriff’s department since 2006, was off duty at the time of the incident, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.

Cruz has been placed on administrative leave, the sheriff’s department said, while the Coronado Police Department and Navy Criminal Investigative Service are investigating the incident.

Naval Base Coronado was locked down Friday night after the vehicle drove through the facility’s main gate without stopping, a military spokesperson said.

Naval Base Coronado spokesman Kevin Dixon told KNSD-TV that the driver was taken into custody by base guards after the “gateway” drove without stopping at the entrance to Naval Air Station North Island, part of Naval Base Coronado.

Several patrol cars surrounded the entrance near 3rd Street and Alameda Boulevard in Coronado around 10:30 p.m., KNSD-TV reported.

Several gates at the air station near San Diego were closed while security personnel checked the facility, Dixon said.

A post on the Naval Base Coronado Facebook page early Saturday morning said, “The main gate to Naval Air Station North Island is currently closed due to a security incident. Please stay clear of the main gate while security investigates.

Later that morning, another Facebook post read, “Gate 2 (Carrier Gate) is now open to inbound and outbound vehicle traffic. The main gate outbound from 4th Street is open to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The main entrance gate remains closed for security reasons. activity.”

Naval Air Station North Island is one of eight US military installations that make up Naval Base Coronado.

In February 2022, a motorist was found with bomb-making materials at the same base gate. The materials were not assembled into a device and the driver was held for questioning, the base said at the time.