A crash pierced the quiet summer night of the Stanley family, waking them at 3 a.m., July 7.
In their front yard they saw a crushed Ford Bronco on its side, "its headlights still on," said Scott Stanley, who lives on the corner of Distel Drive and Marich Way.
He called 911 and then watched as "four kids climbed out of the car, standing there dazed."
The car had crashed through the Stanley's wooden fence, rolled one-and-a-half times, then hit a tree.
"If it had missed the tree, it would have hit the house," Stanley said.
The Los Altos police arrested the driver, a 17-year-old Los Altos youth, on charges of drunk driving, police said. In addition, "There were open containers of alcohol in the vehicle," said Sgt. Mark Macaulay with the Los Altos Police Department.
Stanley said he saw beer bottles and a vodka bottle inside the car.
The four passengers were all male juveniles, police said.
"I knew one of the kids from coaching," Stanley said. The teen recognized Stanley, too, and "he was pretty embarrassed."
Stanley said he woke up his 12-year-old son, a student at Egan Intermediate School, to come out and see "what not to do."
His 15-year-old son, a student at Bellarmine Preparatory in San Jose, had just gotten a learner's permit. But he didn't wake up.
Stanley said the car was heading out to El Camino Real when the accident happened.
"It's not like they were going home. They were still carousing, at 3 a.m.," Stanley said.
"The car had really caved in. It amazed me no one was hurt badly. These kids were lucky, lucky they were all (seat) belted."
This is the second Los Altos minor arrested on drunk driving charges in two weeks. On June 25 police charged an 18-year-old man with DUI at the corner of San Antonio Road and Almond Avenue. These are the first minors charged with DUI "that we've had in years," said Bob Booth, Los Altos city attorney.
"There are harsh penalties for those under 21," said Bob Booth, Los Altos city attorney. The legal limit for minors is a blood-alcohol level of .05, Booth said, not the .08 it is for those 21 and older.
In addition to the drunk driving, "just the possession (of alcohol) alone is worth a year's suspension" of your driver's license, Booth said.