SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. — The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office released a shocking video of a deputy stopping an impaired driver who was caught swerving in traffic Friday evening near Safety Harbor.
The incident happened around 6 p.m. as Deputy Pereira was headed to work, the sheriff's office said. The deputy saw a Honda Civic "driving erratically" and attempted to stop the car but was unsuccessful.
Authorities said the Honda continued to travel southbound on McMullen Booth Road near Enterprise Road.
"At times, while failing to stop, the vehicle completely left the paved roadway, driving into the grass on the side of the road, struck the center median, driving over the median and began traveling southbound in the northbound lanes," the sheriff's office said.
Deputies said the driver also hit a sign.
Pereira eventually used the PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle and to prevent him from harming others, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies say when Pereira got to the driver, he was "practically unresponsive" and had to be removed from the car and placed on the ground.
In the video, Pereira can be heard telling the driver to stop the car and asking him what he took.
The Miami Herald reported that the 31-year-old driver was revived after being given multiple doses of medication used for opioid overdoses. The driver was taken to the hospital and later charged with DUI, possession of fentanyl and possession of marijuana.
