Two police cruisers were struck, an officer was hospitalized with minor injuries and three people were arrested in a spate of driving under the influence incidents over the weekend, according to Cranston Police.

“Members of the Cranston Police Department narrowly avoided a tragedy … and are fortunate the officer who was struck received only minor injuries,” Chief of Police Col. Michael Winquist said in a statement. “It is troubling that some operators continue to make poor choices by getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after drinking. With the holiday season upon us, the Cranston police remain especially vigilant in removing impaired drivers from our roadways. We will have increased DUI patrols patrolling the city and ask for the public’s assistance by dialing 911 to report impaired drivers.”

According to police, the first incident occurred at approximately 1:14 a.m. on Dec. 13 when an unattended, parked Cranston cruiser was struck by another vehicle in the parking lot of the Mardi Gras nightclub on Oaklawn Avenue. The operator of that vehicle – identified as Alex Sanville, 24, of 43 Baptist St. in Swansea, Mass. – is said to have shown signs of intoxication and failed field sobriety tests, and later refused a breathalyzer test at Cranston police headquarters.

Sanville was charged with driving under the influence and refusing a breath test, according to police, and was later arraigned and released pending a future court date.

At approximately 2:35 a.m. on the same date, police took another DUI suspect into custody after responding to reports of a vehicle stopped in the lane of travel at the intersection of Harris Avenue and Cranston Street. Police say the vehicle was believed to have been involved in another accident in the Mardi Gras nightclub.

Responding officers are said to have found the vehicle’s operator and a passenger both sleeping inside, with the engine still running. The driver – identified as Marc Daniel, 41, of 976 Cranston St. in Cranston – reportedly told officers he had left Mardi Gras but did not recall being involved in a crash. He is said to have displayed signs of intoxication and was administered a field sobriety test, which he failed. He also reportedly later submitted to a breathalyzer test at police headquarters, with results indicating his blood alcohol content was nearly three times the legal limit.

Daniel was charged with driving under the influence and operating on a suspended license, and was arraigned and released pending a future court appearance.

The final incident occurred at approximately 12:56 a.m. on Dec. 15, while a Cranston officer was outside his cruiser for a traffic stop on Oaklawn Avenue near Garden Hills Drive. The cruiser’s overhead emergency lights were on at the time, police said.

According to police, the officer was administering field sobriety tests to the operator of the vehicle that was pulled over when a third vehicle struck the back of his cruiser, which was pushed forward and struck the officer in the hip and back.

The operator of the third vehicle – identified as Steven Capobianco, 32, of 61 Manor Drive in Cranston – showed signs of intoxication and failed field sobriety tests, according to police. He also later refused a breathalyzer test at police headquarters. He was charged with driving under the influence and refusal to submit to a breath test, and was arraigned and released pending a future court date.

Following the incident, the officer and a passenger in Capobianco’s vehicle were both transported to Kent County Hospital, where they were treated and released.