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Madison police arrested a 20-year-old man for drunk driving after he allegedly stole a car on East Washington Avenue, drove it around Capitol Square and crashed it between the Veterans’ Museum and Ian’s Pizza.
The suspect, Michael Rivera, fell asleep on a Madison Metro bus and was forced to exit the bus because it had reached the end of its line at around 12:15 am., a Madison Police Department statement said. Rivera, who was intoxicated, got into a Pontiac Vibe owned by Madison Metro from the bus depot on East Washington, the statement said.
Madison Metro owns a fleet of vehicles the supervisors use to assist the buses in case one breaks down, crashes or another issue arises, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said.
Rivera drove the car the wrong way around Capitol Square, according to the statement. He then attempted to drive down State Street but lost control of the vehicle and drove onto the sidewalk and crashed into a public art sculpture located between the Veterans’ Museum and Ian’s Pizza, the statement said.
According to the statement, no one was injured in the crash, but the car was nearly totaled. The art sculpture suffered minor damage, Verveer said.
When police arrested Rivera he had two cans of beers in his pocket and a blood alcohol level of 0.17, the statement said.
“This incident really is one of the more bizarre crimes that I’ve seen downtown,” Verveer said. “It’s one thing to go the wrong way down a one way street, but another to be drunk and crash.”
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