Drunk driving accident sends pedestrian to hospital, driver arrested

Road safety

Driver Carl Barron has been convicted and arrested several times for drunken driving, according to public records, but none previously resulted in injuries.

Berkeley police arrested a driver who was allegedly under the influence when he struck a pedestrian on San Pablo Avenue Saturday night.

Due to the ongoing investigation, information available at the time of publication was limited.

But, according to public information seen by The Scanner, the collision took place at San Pablo Avenue and Cedar Street just after 1:30 a.m.

The pedestrian was described as being conscious and breathing after the accident.

According to traffic services, he was in the middle of the street with “debris everywhere” around him from a cart he was pushing.

Berkeley firefighters took the “Code 3” (with lights and sirens) man to Highland Hospital for treatment.

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The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with police.

He was identified as Carl Robert Barron, 43, of Berkeley.

Barron was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence causing injury and driving under the influence with a history of alcohol, among other allegations, according to online records.

According to those documents, Barron was convicted of misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol in 2010, which put him on probation for three years.

He was later convicted again of misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol in 2022, which placed him on probation until August 2025.

In that incident, he was arrested by Castro Valley homicide detectives and found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.16, twice the legal limit, according to court records.

Barron was also arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Alameda in 2012 and in Emeryville in 2018, but The Scanner could not find a record of the associated charges filed.

According to available records, none of Barron's prior DUI cases appear to have resulted in injuries to other people.

Barron is now being held in Berkeley County Jail on $195,000 bail, booking records show. His arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday.

No information was available Saturday on the condition of the man who was struck, but The Scanner will request an update from Berkeley police.