California deputy faces DUI charge after car runs Navy gate

CORONADO, Calif. - An off-duty San Diego County deputy has been arrested on suspicion of driving past security at the main gate of a California Navy base while under the influence, prompting guards to open fire and the base to be put on lockdown briefly.

The San Diego Sheriff’s Department said Sgt. Michael Cruz was taken into custody late Friday after driving without stopping through the entrance of Naval Air Station North Island, part of Naval Base Coronado, near San Diego.

No one was hurt during the incident, which is being investigated by the Coronado police department and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Cruz could not be reached for comment and it was unclear if he had an attorney. 

He was booked at San Diego Central Jail on a charge of driving under the influence and later released, the department said.

He has worked at the department since 2006 and was put on paid administrative leave while the sheriff’s department conducts an internal affairs investigation.

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

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