Suspected DUI driver dances through sobriety check in Pasco County
HOLIDAY, Fla. (FOX 13) - Body camera video of a suspected DUI driver dancing through a sobriety test may seem comical, but authorities in Holiday, Florida want to remind drivers of the serious, and potentially deadly consequences of driving under the influence.
Pasco County Sheriff's Office deputies say the dancing suspect had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.28 - more than three times the legal limit, which is 0.08.
The sheriff's office said it all began when a deputy pulled over to check on the occupant of a vehicle parked in front of a closed gate outside of a business in Holiday.
In the arrest report, the deputy said he saw the parked vehicle was running and the brake lights were on, but when he went up to the vehicle, he saw a man apparently asleep in the driver's seat. The deputy said the man's foot was on the brake pedal.
The deputy said it took some knocking on the window and shouting for the man to wake up. The man seemed disoriented and waved at the deputy, according to the affidavit.
The man got out of the vehicle, but the deputy said it was still in drive and began to roll forward. The deputy jumped in to stop it from hitting the gate.
The deputy asked the man, 33-year-old Christopher Ryan Larson, to begin performing tasks related to a sobriety test. That's when the dancing began.
Body camera video shows Larson bouncing and rowing his arms as he puts one foot in front of the other. At one point, Larson turns on one foot, as if performing a dance move and then begins bounce-walking in the opposite direction.
The video also shows Larson side-step out of place and point at a deputy. At one point a deputy asks Larson if he's "complete with the exercise," to which Larson mumbles and continues dancing along the line.
Larson spoke with FOX 13’s Briona Arradondo over the phone. He said he would not call what he did in the video dancing and he would not comment further on the arrest.
After being arrested, the report said Larson admitted to drinking for several hours. Larson also allegedly told the deputy he thought he was in Clearwater.
Larson was actually parked at a location near Berry Hill Road and Grand Boulevard in Holiday.