St. Cloud, Florida – A traffic stop in St. Cloud took a perilous turn when a driver collided with a parked police vehicle after being woken up by an officer. Body-camera video reveals the chaotic scene that unfolded as law enforcement attempted to intervene.
The officer’s body camera captures the moment when the officer repeatedly knocks on the driver’s window in an effort to awaken her. When that proves ineffective, he resorts to tapping on the roof of her sedan. However, the situation quickly escalates as the driver, later identified as 27-year-old Emily Simpson, suddenly moves forward, crashing into a parked Volusia Sheriff’s Office (VSO) vehicle that was strategically positioned to prevent her from driving into the intersection.
Upon confronting Simpson, the officer emphatically explains the reason for the stop: her apparent state of unconsciousness behind the wheel. Simpson vehemently denies being passed out, leading to a back-and-forth exchange between her and the officer, as recorded in the video.
Authorities suspect Simpson of driving under the influence, as they detected a strong aroma of a fruity alcoholic beverage emanating from her breath. Moreover, they discovered three open cans of the popular “White Claw” alcoholic beverage in her car. She was subsequently arrested and charged with DUI, along with a citation for careless driving. Simpson declined to take a breath test or perform a field sobriety exam.
Ironically, Simpson works as a Deputy Sheriff for Seminole County, Florida. She was off duty at the time of the incident. As the investigation into the incident continues, Simpson has been placed on paid administrative leave by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office pending the outcome of both the criminal and internal probes. Remarkably, this event was not an isolated incident at the same intersection. While law enforcement was focused on Simpson’s case, another driver crashed into one of the patrol cars, resulting in the arrest and DUI charge of 46-year-old Alistair Bond of Sanford, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office (VSO).
Simpson spent several hours in the Volusia County jail before being able to post bail. The authorities are now piecing together the sequence of events surrounding both incidents and weighing the consequences of the drivers’ actions.