The Brief
A 19-year-old is facing DUI charges after a high-speed chase ended in a fiery crash on I-275 on Sunday.
According to FHP, troopers used a PIT maneuver to stop the speeding car, before pulling multiple occupants from the burning car.
Investigators say the driver admitted to drinking five margaritas and three Twisted Teas before driving over 120 mph.
TAMPA, Fla. – A 19-year-old Plant City teenager was arrested Sunday morning after leading Florida Highway Patrol troopers on a 120 mph chase that ended in a fiery wreck on I-275.
Fiery Tampa highway pursuit
What we know
According to FHP, a trooper spotted a black Audi speeding northbound over the Howard Frankland Bridge into Hillsborough County at speeds exceeding 120 mph on Sunday at 2:56 a.m.
The car was weaving across lanes until the trooper executed a PIT maneuver, at mile marker 42 on northbound Interstate 275.
Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol
After the crash the Audi caught fire. Troopers rushed to extract multiple occupants from the car. Including the driver, 19-year-old Kimberly Gutierrez.
Troopers say they placed Gutierrez in the back of a patrol car when they noticed an overwhelming smell of alcohol on Gutierrez, along with slurred speech and red, watery eyes.
Emergency crews transported her to a local hospital for medical clearance. While at the hospital, troopers say she failed several seated sobriety exercises.
While at the hospital, troopers say Gutierrez admitted to drinking five margaritas in Ybor City and then three Twisted Teas in Clearwater while out with friends.
Gutierrez was discharged from the hospital a few hours later, and breath tests at the jail revealed blood-alcohol levels of 0.111 and 0.102, well above the legal limit.
Gutierrez was charged with driving under the influence involving property damage or personal injury.
Interstate 275 crash investigation
What we don’t know
Officials have not yet confirmed the identities or medical conditions of the other passengers pulled from the burning Audi. It remains unclear if anyone else suffered severe injuries during the high-speed pursuit or subsequent fire.
The Source
Information from this article is based on an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol.