TITUSVILLE, Fla. (CBS12) — The City of Titusville has fired Police Chief John Lau after officers found a partially consumed bottle of vodka in his city-issued SUV following a crash Tuesday night, according to police and city officials.
Body camera footage released from the scene shows officers examining the bottle, asking each other about its contents.
“Can you just point to the liquid level because it’s hard to tell on the camera,” one officer says. Another asks, “Is that open or closed?” to which a colleague replies:
Well, it’s been drank out of.
The crash happened around 11:15 p.m. on June 23, near River Oaks Drive and Barna Avenue, just outside Titusville city limits, according to officials. Lau was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. Video shows officers securing his personal belongings at the scene, including two phones from the vehicle identified as his assigned city SUV.
According to the Titusville Police Department, a commander later requested that Lau submit to alcohol testing while he was at the hospital, either through a blood draw or a breath test, to determine whether alcohol played a role in the crash. Police say Lau refused, which they say is a violation of the city’s personnel policy.
An officer at the scene reported smelling alcohol inside the vehicle, writing that he “could immediately smell the odor of alcoholic beverage throughout the passenger side.” The same officer noted that Lau appeared to have bloodshot eyes. Another officer stated he “slightly smelled the odor of what resembled that of an alcoholic beverage coming from (Lau’s) person and/or breath.”
See also: Martin County woman gets nearly 30 years after DUI hit-and-run killed cyclist
Lau was released from the hospital the following day. Shortly afterward, City Manager officials met with him and terminated his employment.
“This is his car. That’s his assigned vehicle,” an officer can be heard saying on body camera footage as they inspected the SUV at the crash site.
In a statement, Interim Police Chief Tyler Wright called the incident “extremely unfortunate and avoidable.”
According to the Titusville Police Department, a commander later requested that Lau submit to alcohol testing while he was at the hospital, either through a blood draw or a breath test, to determine whether alcohol played a role in the crash. Police say Lau refused, which they say is a violation of the city’s personnel policy. (CNN Newsource)
“Thankfully, no other innocent parties were involved, and no serious injuries were sustained,” Wright said. “This incident does not reflect the values of this Department or the dedicated men and women who serve our city.”
No additional details about the crash or potential charges have been released.