Alcohol suspected in crash

Spokane police believe alcohol was a factor in a crash that resulted in a 2008 black Mercedes-Benz hitting a retaining wall and becoming lodged in a tree.

Officers responded at 1:42 a.m. Friday to a report of a collision at Fifth Avenue and Chandler Street. It appeared to the officers that the cause of the crash was excessive speed and drunken driving, Officer David Daddato said in a news release.

The driver, 30-year-old Melissa M. Gastelum, had been eastbound on Fifth and struck a stop sign at Cowley Street. The Mercedes continued east, missed the turn at Chandler, struck a 3-foot block wall and became lodged in the tree.

The Spokane Fire Department treated Gastelum for minor injuries before she was taken to a hospital for further treatment.

She was later released into police custody and booked into the Spokane County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence.