Westminster Councilman's DUI Arrest

Westminster (myFOXla.com) - A Westminster city councilman who drove into an electric pole Sunday, knocking out power to at least 300 homes in the city, was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, police said.

Andy Tuan Ngoc Quach, 37, was driving just after midnight when his vehicle -- a black S550 Mercedes-Benz, according to the Orange County Register - - struck a pole in the 8800 block of McFadden Avenue, said Lt. Derek Marsh of the Westminster Police Department.

The crash "severed an electric pole to the rear of several residences," knocking out the power to at least 300 homes, Marsh said.

Southern California Edison had all power restored by 1 p.m.

Responding officers suspected Quach was under the influence of alcohol, Marsh said.

Quach expressed remorse and told the Register he will take "full responsibility for everything."

He said he was driving home after having dinner with some friends and that, "I think I must have nodded off and hit the pole. I'm hurting physically and emotionally ... but I'm extremely relieved and so grateful that no one else was hurt in this accident."

He said he did not submit to a breathalyzer test but did take a blood test. Results of the test are expected in a couple of weeks.

"I wish it's something I can undo, but I can't," he told the Register. "We're all human. As far as I'm concerned, it will never happen again."

He added that he's willing to face the "legal, financial and political consequences of what happened," and that "I don't believe what happened will affect my abilities as a councilman."

Quach has been a Westminster city councilman for nearly seven years.