More details are out surrounding Tiger Woods’ arrest in Jupiter, Florida early Monday morning for driving under the influence. Outlets have obtained the police report, which describes how Tiger was found pulled over on the side of the road and asleep at the wheel in his car. Tiger’s car was running at the time and his right blinker was on. Cops woke him up, and his behavior is described as “cooperative” (which somewhat contradicts TMZ’s earlier report that he was “arrogant,” although both could be true I guess) but “confused.” Tiger’s eyes kept closing and he had trouble staying awake. He is said to have not known where he was initially and to have given a statement indicating he was leaving a golf tournament in LA, when in fact he was in Florida. Also in contrast to TMZ’s report, which claimed he refused a breathalyzer, the police report states that while he failed a field sobriety test no alcohol was found on the breathalyzer and he blew a .000. This supports Tiger’s statement that he was taking prescription medication and wasn’t under the influence of alcohol at the time.
According to a police report obtained by Us Weekly, authorities had to wake up the golf legend, 41, when they found his 2015 black Mercedes-Benz stopped in the right lane of Military Trail south of Indian Creek Parkway early Monday morning. His car was running with the brake lights on and the right blinker flashing.
The police report says Woods “had extremely slow and slurred speech.” His attitude was described as “cooperative” but “confused.” Woods told police he was coming home from a golfing trip in Los Angeles and did not know where he was when he was awoken.
According to police, the athlete failed a field sobriety test, though his breathalyzer test results were 0.00. He told police that he takes several prescription medications.
Woods was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence and was also cited for improper parking in an illegal place. He was booked at a local jail at 7:18 a.m. and was released on his own recognizance at 10:50 a.m. He is scheduled for an arraignment hearing in Palm Beach County circuit court on July 5.
CNN adds the detail that Tiger’s car was damaged on the driver’s side, and that it had two flat tires and scrapes on the bumper. This of course indicates that he got in an accident just prior to pulling over and passing out.
The breathalyzer results work somewhat in Tiger’s favor in that he wasn’t drinking, was still recovering from back surgery a month prior and had a valid reason for the prescriptions. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t abusing them or mixing them improperly, just that they were prescribed to him. I would wonder if he might go to rehab, but if he went to rehab during his scandal, as was rumored, he didn’t go public with it. His apology tour back then was weak so I don’t expect much this time. Hopefully he’s learned his lesson and will hire a driver or call an Uber next time. He clearly should not be driving. Whatever is going on with him, his career is no longer at the pinnacle, his comeback didn’t materialize after his big scandal and he may be mourning that.
Photos credit: Getty and Palm Beach County
I don’t know anything about meds but Tiger could have had a bad reaction or taken too much. A friend changed blood pressure medication and it really messed with her system. I just don’t think every DUI or accidents means an alcohol/drug problem and rehab.
This looks like a total witch hunt to me. Many people have bad reactions from medication and yet they’re still trying to make out he’s some kind of criminal. Meanwhile he had 0% alcohol in his system and was pulled over and parked. He was unaware his medication would react in his system this way. Cut the guy some slack. Just because he’s well known does not mean he needs to be raked through the coals because he made a mistake with his medication.
At first, Sabrine, I wondered too, because I’d read he was pulled over in the breakdown lane and parked. I figured he did what safety folks recommend for sleepy drivers: stop, pull over, and rest, instead of driving while impaired.
But then I saw some of the police video: he wasn’t pulled over off the road or fully in the breakdown lane – his car was actually was straddling the breakdown lane and the right travel lane – it was still running, with a blinker on, while he was asleep at the wheel. And his responses to officers’ questions seem to demonstrate he was impaired in some way. Just because he’s well known does not mean he needs to get a pass if he was driving when he was in no condition to operate a vehicle. Aside from the risk to his own life, driving while impaired (whether drunk, on some medication or simply too tired) also puts others at risk.
I don’t understand all of the “they were prescription meds people. Go back to your villages” nonsense from yesterday. Tiger could have seriously injured/killed himself or someone else. Period.
Exactly. I have a high sensitivity to even the lowest dose of codeine (discovered when I had an abscess on my tooth) and I wouldn’t dream of driving if I was taking it. Cos, y’know, I’d hate to kill someone. What with trying to be a decent human being an’ all.
I know personally that narcotics cause me to be hyperactive & I don’t fall asleep on them. I’m still impaired but many, many people drive on medications not understanding that it lowers their reaction time. So for Tiger, while I’m not sure what happened other than he was too impaired too drive. He did just have a back operation & maybe he’s taking too many Vicodin for the pain. Then it’s causing him to not sleep so he’s being prescribed a sleeping pill & the interactions of the drugs caused this. I found myself in my car many times sleepwalking due to interactions with medications I was on. It’s a pain…I have to take my migraine medication at night & tramadol before 2 pm if I’m in pain or I won’t be sleeping. I also know I can’t take sleeping pills due to sleepwalking, night terrors & weird dreams. My point is it could be just what he said happened or he’s abusing pain meds.
Its good that you know how all medicines and the various doses and cobinations affect your cognitive abilities but he may not have been aware of what this drug or that dose would do to him. I remember a lady who had an unexpected adverse reaction to some meds and drove into our local river. She had taken both drugs before, just not together or in that dosage and the combination nearly killed her. It was unfortunate but does not make her an indecent human being. Tiger deserves the same benefit of the doubt.
My prescriptions make me suddenly exhausted, dizzy, double vision and lose balance. I have taken them for over 20 years and have to take them for the rest of my life. I do know it’s dangerous to drive or even ride a bike because of these effects. People need to take it seriously and not risk their own and other people’s lives when they don’t pay attention to the warnings
I think there is a difference between this and drinking and driving. He might have not been properly informed by his doctor what the effects would be, or he might have had a bad reaction to an amount that was ‘safe’ to drive with . Now of course he still could have just taken too much pills or have a problem but there are more valid possibile excuses as opposed to drinking and getting behind the wheel.
Just about any medication that can impair a person’s driving will come with a caution on the Rx bottle: “use caution when operating heavy machinery” “this medication may cause drowiness” etc etc. Anyone taking a new medication or a new combination of medications should exercise caution before getting behind the wheel of a car.
Agreed, this was scary. But even scarier is it seems he didn’t have a capacity to know he shouldn’t be driving, if he thought he was in LA for a golf tournament. Sounds like he needs a handler of some sort.
ITA! I once took a painkiller for my chronic pain and I had an allergic reaction to it – I was paranoid, coult not walk and thought that if I went to sleep I would die (I had to be taken to hospital) and all this was an hour after taking the pill. If I had been driving I could have killed myself and others.
The overprescription of opioids in this country is out of control. People are completely in denial about the effects of chronic use of these narcotics. You know, “my doctor gave them to me so they must be ok!” I see it everyday through my line of work. The fact that he wasn’t drinking means nothing to me.
I agree and this is from personal experience. When I was in college I had to get my tonsils and adenoids removed and after the surgery was given some pretty heavy narcotics for about sex weeks. I felt no pain, which is what I was hoping for. I went in for my follow up thinking that I was going to get a refill and was shut down with the quickness. I was livid with my doctor (extra strength Tylenol for this girl for the following six weeks. Combine that will the pain and not being cleared to attend classes, yeah stewed in anger), but looking at the epidemic now, my empathy for people with this addiction has risen ( I kid you not, I stereotyped it to a bored suburban housewife syndrome and how wrong was I about that) and it hurts and takes a lot of work to end the dependence of them.
Theres a reason it says on the label to not operate heavy machinary or drive with these types of meds. I read somewhere he was on 4 types, which if true, is a crazy amount to drive on.
His car was wrecked, but not from the scene he was found. So a hit and run was involved with we can only hope was just property damage.
You don’t have to drunk from alcohol to be considered driving under the influence.
Former prosecutor here. It actually doesn’t matter if he was properly taking prescription medication or not. If he was prescribed a narcotic and he drove while that drug was in his system, he’s still technically driving under the influence. It might help him get a more lenient sentence if he wasn’t abusing his meds or mixing them with alcohol, but it doesn’t negate the DUI. That’s why doctors tell you not to drive while you’re taking certain types of painkillers. Same goes for medical marijuana. It might be legal for you to use it, but that doesn’t mean you can drive while it’s in your system.
Yup. I’m sorry he’s having issues but what if it was you or your loved ones car he hit? Not acceptable and not okay.
A co-worker on her way to work bumped another vehicle at a stop sign. By her own account, she thought the handcuffs were shiny bracelets (she was that out of it, allegedly from one well-known prescription sleep aid that is known to cause impairment for 8 hours).
She tried to fight the DUI, but the prosecuting attorney insisted on community service. It did not matter that she had no record, that the cause was a prescribed med, and I fully agreed with that. Someone could have been seriously injured. My husband was going to work at 4 AM and witnessed a driver drift across a usually busy intersection and off the roadway (where officers found him asleep and charged him with DUI — meds in vehicle). Had my husband or any other driver been 100 feet closer, they’d have been injured or worse. Alcohol or meds, it’s impairment.
I do not excuse his behavior but sadly many people still underestimate the power of prescription drugs. Worse, they underestimate the power of mixing said drugs (even with OTC) or mixing said drugs with alcohol. No matter how many celebrity deaths (and non celebrity deaths) are attributed to prescription drug misuse/abuse there’s still people who feel they are not as dangerous as illicit drugs.
I take a med for seizures which has a slight drowsy/dizzy side effect. I am not especially effected by it in general . However, during allergy season, if I take Claritan or Allegra, even the non-drowsy formula I really feel it because of the drug interaction. They amplify the drowsy side effects of the anti-seizure drug. I’ve spoken to my doctor and I can take them together but I have to be cautious of the side effects.
I always have someone else drive me.
Yep, unfortunately that’s exactly what led to my grand mother’s death. She mixed up her migraine medication and it led to internal bleeding.
After that, I’ve become incredibly hesitant on taking more than one medicine at once.
I believe he is abusing pain killers at this point, he has been on them so long. Opiates are incredibly seductive. If I had the money and means I would probably have a problem with them too. I had a badly broken foot and was on norco 10’s for at least a couple of months. Coming off those babies was a biotch, but oh Lord they made me feel great. Not only do they take the physical pain away, but the tak emotional pain as well. The problem with long term use is that they eventually stop working and you have to take more to get the same effect. That is why overdosing is such an issue – more is needed for the pain relief and high, but the amount it takes to kill you doesn’t change.
Tiger had his 4th back surgery last month. That might still hurt a little too much for a couple of Tylenol.
If he already has or becomes addicted to them, he should hurry up with getting help.
I don’t give a damn about gross, sleazy Tiger, but it’s sad to see someone addicted to anything
You’re very fortunate to have been able to get over them. It’s extremely difficult to beat an opiates addiction, which is why there’s currently an epidemic that seems to still be increasing.
The addiction has to do with so many circumstances, that it makes it terribly difficult for a lot of people to no relapse.
Congratulations for being able to recover from it!
This is a guy who is a confirmed liar with no moral compass or conscience. I think people need to stop trying to justify this latest episode.
And on top of that….he is not aging well at all.
I seem to remember Tiger Woods coming out about getting residential treatment for his sex addiction at Pine Grove in Hattiesburg, MS.
I can’t believe the excuses people are making for him. This is someone who has a history of abusing drugs. He was on Ambien and Vicodin when he crashed his car the time before this. This man is worth close to a billion dollars and can’t hire someone to keep an eye on him or hold onto his keys when he takes meds? Inexcusable.
Right there with you. He is one of the few fortunate ones that can afford to address his issues in the most effective way(s) possible. No excuse for not getting help.
I don’t get it either. He’s had multiple surgeries and injuries in his career. I have a very hard time believing he doesn’t know how these medications effect him. (Plus, wasn’t one of them even taken off the market over a decade ago?) I get feeling for him if he has addiction issues but don’t make excuses for him taking meds and getting behind the wheel of a car.
He needs to accept that his golf career is over and give his back a chance.
I’m just going to be totally shallow here: he is so incredibly unattractive.
That’s all.
Oh, I didn’t know the details, and now I feel really bad for the guy (or at least the way the press treated him.)
He had a bad reaction to medicine he’d been prescribed. He could have been killed, and instead he got mocked with a “DUI OF THE TIGER” headline. 🙁