Ontario City Council Member Jim Bowman has been arrested for an alleged hit-and-run and suspicion of driving under the influence.
First responders were notified Monday at 5:05 p.m. about a traffic accident involving two vehicles near Euclid Avenue and Mission Boulevard, Ontario Police Department Sgt. Melissa Ramirez said in a statement Thursday. Witnesses said one vehicle had left the scene of the accident.
Police said the vehicle that left the scene was driven by Bowman, who called 911 about a minute later near Locust Street and Laurel Avenue, about a mile away from the accident, to request police aid.
An Ontario traffic investigator found Bowman “to be at fault” for the accident, after which police arrested the council member, Ramirez said.
The Ontario police statement did not disclose Bowman’s blood alcohol level at the time he was arrested or whether police had conducted a sobriety test.
Bowman and the other driver were transported to a local area hospital for evaluation and treatment, where the other driver was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Bowman was released from custody at the hospital.
Bowman did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
Ramirez said Bowman remains under investigation for driving under the influence and conducting a hit-and-run with injuries.
The case will be submitted to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office for independent review, Ramirez said.
Bowman was first elected to the Ontario City Council in 1986. Since then, he has served as Ontario mayor pro tem and sat on many regional boards and commissions, including the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission, the San Bernardino County Emergency Medical Care Commission and the Ontario Housing Authority.
He also worked 16 years in the Ontario Fire Department and retired as a fire chief.