WATCH: Suspected drunk driver hits Manatee deputy head-on, causes car to flip
BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) — Multiple videos captured the moment a suspected drunk driver slammed head-on into a Manatee County deputy's patrol car over the weekend, sending the deputy's vehicle rolling.
The crash happened just before midnight on Easter, with surveillance video showing the second the two vehicles collided on 301 Boulevard West in Bradenton.
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Authorities said the deputy was on routine patrol that night. He was about to make a left turn into the parking lot of the MCSO's Operations Center when a pickup truck suddenly veered toward him and crashed head-on into his marked patrol car.
The force from the crash caused the deputy's vehicle to rollover, coming to a stop on its roof. Bodycam video showed the deputy's colleagues rushing over to the upside-down vehicle and helping pull him out.
He laid on the ground as another deputy asked him, 'Do you remember what happened?'
'Yeah, they crossed over the median and hit me head-on,' the deputy replied.
The sheriff's office said the deputy was fortunate to have walked away with only minor abrasions.
When deputies went to speak with the driver of the pickup truck, identified as William Thomas, 47, they said he was non-compliant with their commands, smelled of alcohol and displayed signs of impairment.
Thomas was taken to a local hospital and, after being medically cleared, consented to a breath test. Authorities said the test showed he had blood alcohol concentrations of 0.279 and 0.268 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath — more than three times the legal limit.
Thomas was booked into the Manatee County Jail for DUI and causing damage to property or injury to another person.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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