DUI stop turns deadly

DENVER, July 28 (UPI) -- A crackdown on drunken driving in Denver turned deadly when an ex-con riding in a car that was pulled over pulled out a gun.

The shootout that followed left the gunman dead and three police officers and the driver of the sport utility vehicle injured, The Rocky Mountain News reported.

The incident late Thursday began when a state trooper participating in the DUI sweep spotted a driver who appeared to be intoxicated. The driver, Julius Poorman, passed a field sobriety test, but police discovered he was wanted on a domestic violence charge.

His passenger, Carlos Becerra, was told he would have to leave the SUV as well. Sonny Jackson, a spokesman for the Denver police, said Becerra, who was wanted for violating parole, turned out to have a gun.

Two Arapahoe County sheriff's officers and the state trooper were wounded. Becerra, who was shot in the head, died in a hospital early Friday morning.