THEY DID THE RIGHT THING—Capt. Cliff Williams of the California Highway Patrol praises the efforts of Moorpark residents Brian and Michele Wallin during a commendation event in Moorpark on Nov. 25. The Wallins guided authorities to a drunken driver who was going in the wrong direction on the 118 Freeway in Simi Valley on Nov. 1. SYLVIE BELMOND/Acorn Newspapers When Brian and Michele Wallin saw a potentially deadly situation on the road, the Moorpark couple decided to take action, and what they did, authorities are now saying, likely saved lives.

At around 3 a.m. on Nov. 1, the Wallins were on their way home from a Halloween party when they spotted a vehicle on the wrong side of Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Chatsworth.

“He was going north in the wrong lane of the road and almost hit a truck before he got on the freeway in the right direction,” said Michele Wallin, who immediately called 911 to report the unsafe motorist.

The call first went to a Los Angeles County CHP dispatcher, but officers in that area were busy with other incidents and unable to respond.

As the couple headed toward Moorpark on the westbound 118 Freeway, Brian Wallin stayed behind the driver while his wife updated dispatchers from L.A. County on her cellphone.

“We were on the phone giving them a play-by-play,” said Michele Wallin, noting that the driver was going only 45 mph and was swerving through traffic lanes.

Once the suspected drunk driver crossed into Ventura County, the emergency call was transferred to the Ventura County CHP Moorpark office. But their officers also could not respond immediately.

Eventually the motorist exited the freeway at Erringer Road in Simi Valley and the 911 call was transferred to the Simi police. At that point, the Wallins reported that the driver, who’d briefly parked on a sidewalk along Town Center Drive, made a U-turn and returned to the freeway. But this time the car was headed eastbound in the westbound lanes.

Within minutes, Simi Valley Police Department Officer Joshua Lorencz caught up with the wrong-way driver west of Sycamore Drive. He detained Roberto Guevara, 39, of Canoga Park until CHP officers arrived to complete the arrest. Their investigation soon confirmed what the Wallins had suspected.

“This was truly a dangerous person,” said Capt. Cliff Williams of the Moorpark CHP. “He was highly intoxicated and it was his second DUI arrest in four months.”

Only an hour before Guevara’s arrest, another wrong-way driver killed a 19-year-old Newbury Park woman on the 101 Freeway, Williams said.

In all, Michele Wallin was on the phone with 911 dispatchers for about 20 minutes and her husband tracked the intoxicated driver for 13 miles.

Community leaders praised the resolve of the young couple during a commendation ceremony at the Moorpark Police Services Center Nov. 25.

“They (the Wallins) didn’t just call and report it in but continually called 911 to keep authorities updated as to where the intoxicated driver was,” Williams said.

Brian Wallin said he and his wife were disappointed with authorities at first because it took so long for them to respond, but their frustration disappeared once they learned that every officer available was busy handling other DUI incidents.

The Wallins and Officer Lorencz received commendations from the Moorpark CHP, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the city of Moorpark, State Sen. Tony Strickland and Assemblymember Audra Strickland.

Michele Wallin said she and her husband aren’t seeking praise. They agreed to attend the commendation event last week only because they want to encourage other drivers to take action if they see a dangerous situation, she said.

“We want to help promote that citizens should be calling in when they see drunk drivers,” Michele said.

Tina Pasco, executive director for the Los Angeles County chapter of MADD, drove from Los Angeles to Moorpark to thank the Wallins for interceding.

“It’s unusual for people to go that extra step. Most often people think someone else will call. They don’t follow through. (The Wallins) made sure that police were going to respond,” Pasco said.

“I buried a sister as a result of a drunk driver and I’ve been hit three times by drunk drivers. I get what happens to families and how destructive it is,” said the executive of MADD.