A man crashed his car into a palm tree early Tuesday morning, Aug. 24, after he fell asleep at the wheel, police say.

The accident happened at about 7 a.m. on Las Palmas Avenue between Elm and Sycamore avenues, when the driver, who was driving west, drifted across the eastbound lanes and ran into a palm tree on the other side, according to Sgt. Joe Camarda of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department.

CHP officer John Martinez identified the driver as David Zurita. No age or city of residence was available for Zurita before press time.

Camarda said Zurita had no major injuries and did not need to go to the hospital after paramedics watched him for a time at the scene.

Traffic was delayed for about 15 minutes, he said, when the eastbound lanes were closed to help the driver.

Tuesday’s crash was the second accident involving a palm tree on Las Palmas Avenue this month.

Early Aug. 5, a 23-year-old Turlock man and two young children from Patterson were badly hurt when their car also veered across Las Palmas Avenue into oncoming traffic and crashed into a palm tree.

Aug. 23

• 5:18 p.m.: A 19-year-old man led police on a short chase after an officer tried to pull him over for driving on the wrong side of the road near the intersection of Second Street and South El Circulo. With officers on his trail, Raul Gustavo of Westley crashed his 1997 Chevrolet van on the 600 block of North First Street and then tried to escape by running into a nearby cornfield. Gustavo was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, fleeing an officer, participating in a hit and run, driving without a license and resisting arrest. He was booked into Stanislaus County Jail in Modesto.

Aug. 22

• 2:40 a.m.: Police arrested two teenagers on the 100 block of Las Palmas Avenue after a woman said she saw them break into her Chevrolet pickup while it was parked at a gas station and run away with her purse and wallet. Following the woman’s description and the direction she said the teenagers ran, police found Carlos Galvaz, 18, and Issac Ramirez, 19, both of Patterson, with the stolen items. Both were arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest and booked into county jail.

• Items in this column include a sample of reports in the Patterson Police Services dispatcher’s daily log. Additional information is based on reports from officers. Charges may have been added or dropped as of press time, and all suspects are assumed innocent until proven guilty.