By Jim Clark

Last Friday evening, Somerville Police control received a 9-1-1 call from a person reporting her mother’s vehicle was struck by another vehicle near Memorial Rd in Somerville.

The reporting party stated to the call-taker “This car just hit my mom’s car, and this man is drunk. He is drunk”. The reporting party told the call-taker the operator of the striking vehicle had left the scene and was walking into a building.

Police officers were dispatched to the area and upon arrival spoke with the reporting party, who stated the motor vehicle crash occurred at a Mystic Ave. location. The male operator fled the scene, parked the vehicle on Memorial Rd., and walked to an apartment building with two children.

The reporting party provided the make, model, and color of the striking vehicle and showed the officers where it was parked. The reporting party also showed the officers a photograph of the male who was operating the striking vehicle at the time of the crash.

The officers queried the license plate of the striking vehicle and proceeded to the registered owner’s apartment. They knocked on the apartment door and a five-year-old boy answered. They asked the child to get his parents, and he reportedly stated, “My dad broke the car.”

A man, later identified as Carlos Ramos came to the door. The officers explained to Ramos the reason they were there and asked him to put a shirt on and come outside to talk with them.

When Ramos put a shirt on, it was reportedly the same shirt he had on when compared to the photograph obtained from the reporting party.

While talking to Ramos, the officers detected a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, and his eyes were glassy and bloodshot.

When asked if he consumed any alcoholic beverages, Ramos reportedly replied, “Yes, I had two Coronas at home.”

The officers asked Ramos to take a field sobriety test, to which he agreed. The test was administered in a nearby parking lot.

Based on the test results, the officers placed Ramos under arrest on charges of operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor, leaving the scene of property damage, and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

A report was filed with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) since Ramos had two children in the vehicle at the time of the incident and was driving under the influence of alcohol.