WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. – An e-bike rider is facing a Driver Under the Influence charge after officers said he showed signs of intoxication when he fell off his bike and refused sobriety testing.

What we know:

The Winter Springs Police Department responded to a man riding an e-bike on East State Road after officers witnessed him crash and fall backward off his bike in a crosswalk, an arrest report said. 

The man – later identified as Kyle Blanton, 34, – was unsteady on his bike, an arrest report said. Officers asked the man if he wanted medical attention, which he declined, body camera footage shows. He had a small cut to his right pinky and ring finger, the report said. Both injuries were later medically cleared. 

An officer said she saw him “wipe out,” body camera footage shows. The officer said she “smelled something,” and also said Blanton had slurred speech and a strong alcohol smell, the report said. He also had watery eyes, the report said. 

The man said he wasn’t intoxicated. 

When officers asked about the crash, the man laughed, saying he was trying to show off. 

Declined a sobriety test

An officer asked the man to perform field sobriety exercises, but which the man declined to do. He was arrested shortly after the officer also confirmed he “smelled something.” 

Blanton was taken to the John E. Polk Correctional facility for driving under the influence. Under Florida law, 316.003, a bicycle – described as propelled solely by human power, having two tandem wheels – is considered a vehicle. 

At the facility, officers said Blanton declined to take a breathalyzer test. 

The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Winter Springs Police. 

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