San Rafael, CA – On February 22, 2025, San Rafael Police Officers arrested Marcos Martinez-Jimenez, a 27-year-old San Rafael resident, on several charges of DUI and driving with a suspended driving privilege after being involved in a major collision in Downtown San Rafael that seriously injured another driver and caused major damage.

Just after midnight on Saturday, SRPD and San Rafael Fire were dispatched to the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Third Street about a car crash involving two vehicles.  Additional calls were received where witnesses reported a fire hydrant being struck and the roadway being blocked. 

Emergency responders arrived in less than a minute and found two vehicles with major damage.  One vehicle was on its side, up against a building, with a sheered-off fire hydrant shooting a water geyser into the power lines. 

Police and fire personnel immediately began rendering aid to the involved drivers.  One driver, Martinez-Jimenez, was found to have symptoms of driving under the influence of alcohol and had minor injuries.  The other involved driver, a 39-year-old female, had serious injuries and was transported by ambulance to a local area hospital for treatment.  

Emergency responder efforts while working at the scene were hampered and made dangerous due to the water geyser from the broken fire hydrant reaching the power lines and causing them to arc.  PG&E responded to the scene and turned off the electricity.  Officers also observed that the vehicle found on its side had caused damage to the building it was resting against.

The intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Third Street had to be closed for two hours while the investigation was completed and the scene was cleared.

During the investigation, Martinez-Jimenez was found to be on DUI probation with a suspended driving privilege.  It was learned that he had run a red light at the intersection.  After being arrested, he was taken to the hospital for treatment.  Martinez-Jimenez was later booked into the Marin County Jail for felony driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in an injury, driving on a suspended driving privilege, failing to operate a vehicle with a DUI interlock device, and violating the terms of his probation.

This serves as an unfortunate reminder that driving while impaired from alcohol or drugs is illegal and places our community in harm's way.  This tragic circumstance could have been avoided by not driving while under the influence.  It is important to drive sober, plan ahead, and if choosing to drink or use drugs - always designate a sober driver, use a rideshare service, or call a taxi.  There is no excuse for driving impaired.