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Man almost crashes into South Tampa house
Ariel Plasencia reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - A 25-year-old driver was charged with driving under the influence after South Tampa residents say their home security cameras captured video of that driver speeding throughout the neighborhood and almost crashing into a house.
Austin Graham was charged with driving under the influence with property damage or personal injury and resisting an officer without violence. Both are misdemeanors, according to Tampa police.
Stephanie Kaltenbaugh told FOX 13 drivers speed up and down her South Tampa street all the time. But when her security cameras captured a silver vehicle speeding by the front of her house Sunday, she was shocked at just how fast it was going.
Pictured: Austin Graham
"I couldn't believe, I mean, it zipped by in a second, and he was gone," Kaltenbaugh said.
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Worried about what she had seen, Kaltenbaugh went online to her neighborhood Facebook group and saw other moms posting about the same Dodge Challenger.
Residents reported seeing it speeding on Church Ave, Lois Ave, MacDill Ave, and other neighborhood streets. Video shows the car whizzing by people and kids standing in their front lawns.
Just after 6 p.m. Sunday, Tampa police responded to a home near Westshore Blvd and Euclid Ave. Cell phone video shows the silver vehicle drove up the front lawn and right up to the front door of a home.
The vehicle did not go through the house. The homeowner told FOX 13 it’s a "miracle" no one was hurt.
At one point, cell phone video recorded the driver trying to put the vehicle in reverse, but officers surrounded the car with their weapons drawn.
TPD told FOX 13 that officers on scene saw signs of impairment, which they believe was a factor in the crash.
Bond for the two charges was set at $1,500. Graham bonded out Monday morning. Court documents show he surrendered his license.
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Residents told FOX 13 they believe the punishment should have been stiffer, calling to mind the 2018 fatal crash that killed a mother and her baby after two cars were racing on Bayshore Blvd.
"It could have been a person that you hit. So I'm actually happy he ended up hitting a house and that those people are okay. Because, yeah, he could have killed my neighbor," Kaltenbaugh said.
Graham’s family told FOX 13 that the 25-year-old may have had a seizure and that they are grateful the people inside the house are safe.
Court documents show Graham refused a breath alcohol test. His court date is set for March 26.
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