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Dashcam video: Wrong-way driver on I-275
Troopers say 27-year-old Cynthia Serrano Roncal was drunk when she drove north in the southbound lanes.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A St. Petersburg woman took off down I-275 while headed in the wrong direction early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Troopers say around 12:41 a.m., 27-year-old Cynthia Serrano Roncal was driving a Toyota Corolla in the southbound lanes of I-275 while headed north. According to officials, she was driving north of mile marker 25.
Roncal passed a trooper that was headed south near mile marker 26, according to FHP. Authorities say the lights and sirens on the trooper's patrol car were activated when Roncal sped by.
READ: Pedestrian injured in early morning hit-and-run in St. Pete
FHP says the trooper made a U-turn to try to stop Roncal as she continued to drive in the wrong direction.
The dash cam video shows Roncal speeding down I-275 as the trooper chases her. Eventually, the trooper drove into the side of the Toyota to try to stop the car.
Courtesy: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
The car ended up traveling across all southbound lanes and going off the road, but Roncal managed to reenter the roadway, according to law enforcement.
READ: Pinellas County man crashes into building after speeding away from trooper
Troopers say she began traveling north against traffic before a second precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver was used to stop her.
According to FHP, a trooper acted as Roncal's translator since she primarily spoke Spanish. Troopers noticed signs of impairment like blood shot, watery eyes, slurred speech and the smell of alcohol coming from her breath, according to the arrest report.
Officials say she performed poorly in all the field sobriety exercises and her breath sample revealed a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.210 and 0.220. The legal limit for drivers in Florida is 0.08.
FHP says Roncal was taken to Pinellas County Jail and charged with:
- Driving under the influence BAL .15 or greater or minor in vehicle
- Fleeing and eluding police officer
- Resisting an officer: without violence (obstruction)
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