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Police have released a photo of Tiger Woods hours after he was arrested and charged with driving under the influence following a dramatic car crash in Florida.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said a Land Rover, driven by the golf legend, tried to overtake a truck “at a high rate of speed” before it swerved and rolled onto its side after hitting a truck pulling a trailer.
He says Forest showed “signs of disturbance” after the incident which occurred on Friday at around 14.00 local time and not far from the golfer’s residence on Jupiter Island.
Woods, 50, took a breathalyser test after his arrest, which was negative, but the golfer later refused to provide a urine sample, police said.
Tiger Woods stands near his overturned vehicle on Jupiter Island, Florida. photo: AP
Sheriff Budensiek told reporters during a press conference: “When it came time for us to request a urinalysis test, he refused, so he was charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.”
None of the parties involved in the crash reported injuries.
Sheriff Budensiek mentioned how the accident occurred on a small two lane road and it was fortunate that no one was injured.
Police arrived at the accident scene. Photo: WPTV
“Had there been someone moving in the opposite direction, we wouldn’t be having a conversation saying there were no injuries. This could have been a lot worse,” said Sheriff Budensiek.
“He [Woods] lethargic at the scene but we believe it was because he was drunk.”
The vehicle Woods hit was a truck pulling a pressure cleaner trailer.
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Woods managed to escape from the vehicle by crawling through the passenger door, police said. Photo: Martin County Sheriff’s Office via AP
The truck driver tried to “slide” to the side of the road to avoid it but there wasn’t enough room, the sheriff explained in an update on Friday.
It is not known whether Woods was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, as he “crawled out of the passenger door” before police arrived at the scene.
Woods was held in the Martin County Jail for about eight hours before he was released on bond.
Trump’s ‘very close friend’
President Donald Trump, whose former daughter-in-law Vanessa Trump dated Woods, was asked about the golfer when he landed in Miami on Friday to attend an investment summit.
“I feel very sad. He went through some difficulties,” Trump said. “My close friend. He’s a wonderful person. A wonderful man. But, there are difficulties.”
This is the latest in a series of vehicle-related incidents involving Woods, the last of which occurred in February 2021 when his SUV went off a coastal road in Los Angeles at a high rate of speed, causing multiple leg and ankle injuries.
Woods later said the injury was so severe that doctors considered amputation.
He was also arrested on DUI charges in 2017 when South Florida police found him asleep at the wheel of his awkwardly parked car with damage to the driver’s side.
He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving after it was discovered he had five prescription drugs in his system at the time.
Tiger Woods with his wife Elin Nordegren at a basketball game in 2009. Photo: Reuters
In 2009 he crashed his car into a fire hydrant and a tree outside his Florida home – an accident that inadvertently led to a spectacular unraveling of his personal life.
Woods’ then-wife, Elin Nordegren, used a golf club to break the window of his Cadillac Escalade to get him out.
‘I am not perfect’
“This situation was my fault and clearly embarrassing for my family and me,” Woods said on his official website at the time.
“I’m human and I’m not perfect.”
The incident revealed a bitter marital dispute with Nordegren, as a number of women admitted to having affairs with Woods.
Woods and Nordegren divorced in August 2010.
Skid marks were visible on the road after Woods’ latest crash. Photo: Martin County Sheriff’s Office via AP
The latest crash came after Woods returned to competitive action for the first time in more than a year on the final night of play at the TGL indoor competition on Tuesday.
He said afterwards that he hoped he would be fit enough to play in the Masters next month.
Woods is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. His major titles include five Masters, three US Opens, three British Opens, and four PGA Championships.
