Tiger Woods was arrested on suspicion of DUI Friday afternoon after a car accident near his home in Hobe Sound, Fla., that resulted in a car flipping onto its side. The accident happened shortly after 13:00, where two cars were involved, one of which was Woods, and there were no injuries. Woods was taken to the Martin County Jail and will be released in eight hours, according to Sheriff John Budensiek, who gave an explanation of the accident update to reporters Friday evening.
According to Budensiek, a pickup truck pulling a trailer was pulling into a driveway near 281 Beach Road in Hobe Sound and a Land Rover was traveling at a “high rate of speed” in the same direction, trying to pass the pickup truck, which was slowing for the turn. As it moved to overtake the truck, the Land Rover clipped the rear of the trailer and rolled onto the driver’s side, skidding to a stop.
“The individual driving that Land Rover was able to crawl out of the passenger door of the car and was identified as Mr. Tiger Woods,” Budensiek said. “Our DUI investigators came to the scene here and Mr. Woods showed signs of impairment.”
After multiple roadside tests, Woods was arrested and taken to the county jail. He is not believed to have suffered any injuries.
Sheriff Budensiek said Woods was cooperative with authorities who believed he was not impaired by alcohol but by medication or drugs. In jail, Woods blew a 0.00 on a breathalyzer test but refused a urine test. As a result of this rejection, Budensiek said, “we will never get definitive results on what was damaged at the time of the crash.” Refusing Woods’ test is considered a felony in Florida when arrested for DUI. Both charges are misdemeanors, according to Budensiek.
Budensiek was unable to confirm the speed at which Woods was driving, but confirmed that the road has a 30 mph speed limit and that “the pictures, they speak for themselves… you can see he slid for quite a distance before coming to a stop.” Woods was described as “lethargic” at the scene of the accident. Budenseik wasn’t sure if Woods was wearing a seat belt. The first to respond to the scene were officers from the Jupiter Police Department, who requested the assistance of the Martin County Sheriff’s Department.
To be released from the Martin County Jail after a DUI arrest, eight hours must have passed from the time of his arrest, meaning Woods will be held until at least 11:00 pm Friday night, when he can first post bond.
Woods has a history of traffic accidents. In May 2017, he was arrested for DUI in the early morning in Jupiter, Fla., when local authorities found him asleep at the wheel in the middle of a road in Jupiter. Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department published a report that listed five different drugs in Woods’ system, but zero traces of alcohol.
