"He's going to kill someone" was the shocked reaction of police as a suspected drunk driver plowed directly through a Florida IRONMAN race. It was a dazzling part of a police chase started by 62-year-old Darrell Simon, according to the New York Post.
Officer Valerio had been blocking traffic at an intersection as standard practice for marathon events. He was on duty during the Jacksonville, Florida IRONMAN on May 16. And that's when he noticed Simon driving where he shouldn't. He immediately whipped his cruiser around and gave chase.
Ripping down side streets to catch up with him, he even blared his sirens to try and get Simons to stop. Of course, he didn't, and blasted straight through a coned-off area.
Heart-pounding footage shows the white Ford Focus run straight through the cones. He even got dangerously close to a cyclist.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said in doing so, he was "putting the athletes' and spectators' lives at risk," Another officer, Officer Sanchez, who was on a motorcycle, put himself in harm's way in an attempt to stop the suspected drunk driver.
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Officer Valerio Had to Crash into the Drunk Driver
Valerio exclaimed, "That's it, I'm going to stop this guy," before slamming his cruiser straight into Simons' Ford. That's not before Sanchez almost got crushed by the car, and Simons made it back onto an active roadway.
Valerio managed to perform a PIT maneuver before officers swarmed the suspected drunk driver's car.
In a statement from the Jacksonville Police Department, they confirmed that Simons was charged. "The driver, 62-year-old Darrell Simon, was taken into custody and arrested on eight felony charges and nearly a dozen misdemeanors and violations. This was Simon's third D.U.I. arrest in the last 10 years."
The statement also included a heartfelt thank you to the officers involved in keeping people safe. "We are incredibly proud of our officers for putting their lives on the line in this moment to protect the Ironman athletes and spectators from what could have been a tragedy."
We're glad that this situation didn't turn out any worse than it otherwise could have.
