Inland state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes was “targeted by Sacramento police officers and subjected to a baseless DUI investigation and arrest” following a 2025 crash near the state Capitol, her lawyer said Monday, April 6, in announcing a lawsuit.
The suit against the city of Sacramento accuses Sacramento police of misconduct and lying after the crash, which led to a citation alleging driving under the influence of a drug.
The Sacramento district attorney’s office declined to file charges against Cervantes, D-Riverside, after a blood test showed no drugs or alcohol in her system at the time of the accident.
“This case is about the abuse of power,” James Quadra, Cervantes’ lawyer, said in a news release.
“Officers ignored the facts, fabricated evidence, and tried to turn a victim into a criminal. Defendants’ conduct violated the law and they must be held accountable.”
The Sacramento Police Department and Sacramento city officials did not immediately respond Monday morning to requests for comment.
Cervantes, 38, was behind the wheel of a state-issued Toyota Camry when a Ford Explorer broadsided her on the afternoon of May 19, 2025, just blocks from the Capitol building.
Officers “observed objective signs of intoxication” in the senator while interviewing her at a hospital where she was treated for minor injuries, a Sacramento police spokesperson said at the time.
Cervantes’ attorneys released an edited, 15-minute video of police body camera footage from their interactions with the senator. The footage shows that police “falsely claimed Senator Cervantes had an ‘unsteady gait’ without mentioning she was injured,’” a caption in the video read.
Lacking probable cause, police sought a warrant for a sample of Cervantes’ blood while “building a case on false statements and omissions,” her lawyer’s release alleges.
Police also “submitted false information to the DMV in an effort to justify their actions, which forced Senator Cervantes to retain counsel to clear her name,” the release alleges.
Sacramento officials “compounded the harm by leaking false claims to the media that Senator Cervantes had been driving under the influence, damaging her reputation and public standing,” according to the release.
In a September news conference in Sacramento, Cervantes — the sister of Riverside City Councilmember and Democratic Assembly candidate Clarissa Cervantes — said it’s been “a very challenging time over the last several months” not only for her, but for her family and staff.
“I’ve had folks who’ve asked for my resignation because of this incident (and) these false allegations,” Sabrina Cervantes said at the time.
“These are attacks that I get every week since this event unfolded and since it was pushed out to the media.”
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, seeks unspecified damages for alleged violations of federal civil rights and California law.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.