Tiger Woods had to be woken up by police before DUI arrest
Tiger Woods needed to be woken up by an officer as his Mercedes was found stopped on a Florida roadway early Monday morning, before he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to court and police records.
"It should be noted (that) Woods was asleep at the wheel and had to be woken up" the arresting officer said in the police report. "The vehicle was running and the brake lights were illuminated as well as the right blinker flashing."
According to the police report obtained by USA TODAY Sports and other outlets, a later investigation revealed fresh damage to the vehicle. Both drivers` side tires were flat along with minor damage to both respective rims. There was also minor damage to the front driver`s side bumper and rear bumper, and the passenger rear tail light appeared to be out.
A breath alcohol test administered showed no signs of alcohol in Woods' system, as he blew a 0.00. A urine sample was collected.
Woods failed a field sobriety test after his vehicle was found “stopped on the roadway in the right-hand lane and right shoulder” at 2:03 a.m. Monday in Jupiter, Fla. Woods was cited for improper parking/stopping, along with the driving under the influence citation.
Woods was described as being "sluggish, sleepy" with "extremely slow and slurred speech" by the arresting officer.
"I asked Woods where he was coming from to which he stated 'LA' and I then asked where he was coming from tonight to which he stated LA again and that he was on his way down to Orange County," one of the responding officers wrote in the police report. "It should be noted that Orange County, California is to the south of LA, California. I asked Woods if he knew where he was at to which he stated he had no idea. Woods stated he didn't know where he was.
"Based on my observations I believed Woods to be under the influence to the extent that he could not operate a motor vehicle."
Woods told the officer he was taking a prescribed medication, the specific medication, however, was redacted in the police report.
Police asked Woods to recite the alphabet backward several times, and Woods responded at one point, "yes, recite entire national anthem backwards." He eventually completed the task but failed other components of the field sobriety test, including walking on a straight line.
“Could not maintain starting position," the officer wrote. "Missed heel to toe each time. Stepped off the line several times.”
Woods, 41, is scheduled to be arraigned in Palm Beach County circuit court on July 5.
Woods claimed in a statement that the DUI arrest was the result of "an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications" and not due to the consumption of alcohol. Police didn't specify the chemical or substance that led to the DUI arrest.
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“I understand the severity of what I did, and I take full responsibility for my actions," Woods said in a statement released to USA TODAY Sports and other outlets Monday evening. "I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved. What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. I didn’t realize the mix of medications had affected me so strongly.”
Woods, who owns a home on Jupiter Island, was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail at 7:18 a.m. ET on a single count of driving under the influence. He was released on his own recognizance at 10:50 a.m.
"I fully cooperated with law enforcement, and I would like to personally thank the representatives of the Jupiter Police Department and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office for their professionalism,” Woods said in the statement.