Florida Man Crashes Head-On Into Deputy’s Vehicle, Flipping It, While Allegedly Drunk

An allegedly drunken driver in Florida crashed into a deputy’s patrol vehicle head-on, causing it to roll over, authorities said.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said a deputy was on routine patrol driving southbound on 301 Boulevard West at around 11:45 p.m. on April 20 when he pulled into a left turn lane to enter the MCSO Operations Center parking lot. Before making the turn, a pickup truck traveling north veered into the southbound lanes and struck the patrol vehicle head-on.

A surveillance video shared by the sheriff’s office shows the moment of impact, which sent the patrol vehicle rolling over. Another clip, from the deputy’s body-worn camera, shows the contents of the vehicle flying as the car rolled over.

Nearby deputies immediately responded to assist and found the deputy conscious in the overturned vehicle. The deputy was treated for minor abrasions at a local hospital, the sheriff’s office said.

The driver of the truck, identified as 47-year-old William Thomas, was “non-compliant” with deputies’ commands and allegedly displayed signs of impairment including a “strong odor” of alcohol. Thomas was also transported to the hospital, and after he was medically cleared, he was transported to Manatee County Jail.

Once at the jail, Thomas consented to a breath test, which revealed blood alcohol concentrations of 0.279 and 0.268 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath, well above the legal limit.

Thomas was charged with driving under the influence causing damage to property or injury to another person.