Legendary golf pro Tiger Woods has been arrested in Florida following a two-car crash near his home on Jupiter Island on Friday, in which he rolled over his SUV, according to the local sheriff’s office.
Woods’ medical status was not immediately clear on Friday afternoon. But Sheriff Alex Villanueva with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said at a press conference that Woods seemed to be in good condition when he was brought into the jail.
Shortly before 2 p.m., a truck pulling a small trailer on South Beach Road in Jupiter Island was turning into a driveway when the driver looked in his rearview mirror and saw Woods’ Land Rover overtaking him at “high speeds,” the sheriff told the press on Friday.
“He saw it coming, so he tried to edge off to the side of the road. But this is a small two-lane road, and there was no shoulder for this pressure-cleaner gentleman to get off the side of the road,” Sheriff Villanueva said.
“He was trying to move to the side of the road. The Land Rover overtook him at the last minute, swerved to avoid a collision but clipped the back end of the trailer of the pressure-cleaner apparatus, then rolled on the driver’s door,” he said.
Woods was able to crawl out of the passenger door of the vehicle, the sheriff said. When DUI investigators arrived, they administered a breathalyzer test, but the golf pro was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, as the test registered 0.0, according to police. Nevertheless, authorities at the scene determined that Woods was impaired at the time of the crash. He refused to submit to a urine test.
Woods will be facing a DUI charge, as well as additional charges for property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test, Sheriff Villanueva said.
This is not Woods’ first rollover crash while potentially having been impaired. In 2021, Woods was involved in a serious rollover crash in Los Angeles. In that incident, he drove into a median in the early hours of Feb. 23, struck a curb, mowed down a sign and drove into opposing lanes; he then hit a tree and rolled over. Police who responded to the scene found an empty pharmaceutical bottle in the backseat of his vehicle.
And in 2017, Woods was discovered asleep at the wheel in Florida and arrested for drunk driving. He had several medications in his system then, including Ambien, Vicodin and THC. Woods subsequently checked into a rehabilitation clinic that year to get help. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
It’s unclear when Woods would be arraigned after the Friday crash.
The Hollywood Reporter did not immediately hear back from Woods’ rep when contacted on Friday evening.
More to come.
