Woman arrested after drunk driving on beach promenade

A Long Island woman was arrested in Rockaway Park last week after driving under the influence of alcohol on the boardwalk at the corner of Beach 118th Street and Ocean Promenade.

According to DCPI, on Friday, May 24, at around 7 p.m., police received a 911 call that a person was “driving on the boardwalk.” At around 7:15 p.m., police were able to locate and stop the driver, who was driving a black Mini Cooper eastbound on the boardwalk, where vehicles are not allowed to travel.

When the driver got out of the vehicle, she put her hands on her head and spoke to the six police officers who immediately arrived on the scene. At the same time, an eyewitness who recorded the encounter on Citizen from a nearby residence yelled at the driver, claiming she was “trying to run people over.”

“She was aiming at the people,” the eyewitness, identified on Citizen as “StAyLoE,” said in the video. “I saw it with my own eyes. She was aiming at the people, trying to hit them.”

Police pursued a black Mini Cooper eastbound on the boardwalk at Beach 118th Street. Photo by Citizen.

Following these observations, police arrested and charged 21-year-old Marjorie Latacela Yumbla of Uniondale with first-degree reckless endangerment, operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% (1%), driving while under the influence of alcohol (DWI), aggravated driving while under the influence of alcohol, and driving while impaired (DWAI).

“Upon further investigation, it was found that the individual (the driver) had bloodshot eyes, was unable to maintain balance, and had slurred speech,” DCPI told The Wave. “The individual placed several people in fear of death due to the vehicle speed and the crowded promenade.”

On Saturday, May 25, Latacela Yumbla was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court and pleaded not guilty. Although prosecutors requested bail, Latacela Yumbla, a first-time offender, was released on her own recognizance and her driver’s license was suspended pending arraignment.

For reckless endangerment, a Class D felony and the primary charge in this case, Latacela Yumbla faces two to seven years in prison if convicted, although prison time is not mandatory. For first-time offenders, probation and other alternative sentencing options may be considered instead.

Latacela Yumbla is scheduled to appear again in Queens Criminal Court on Wednesday, July 24.