Heartpounding video captured the moment a suspected drunk driver plowed through a Florida IRONMAN race, sparking a wild chase with police who feared he was “going to kill someone.”
Darrell Simon, 62, is accused of driving his white Ford Focus through the streets of Jacksonville, Fla., as thousands of athletes competed in the inaugural IRONMAN Jacksonville race on May 16.
Spectators reported Simon had bypassed barriers and was cruising through the coned-off bike and running courses, “putting the athletes’ and spectators’ lives at risk,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.
Officer Ernesto Valerio – who had been blocking traffic at an intersection as athletes competed in the 26.2-mile run portion of the race – spun his cruiser around and raced through side streets to catch up with Simon, according to dashcam video released by the sheriff’s office on Tuesday.
Valerio, an officer with the Specialized Traffic Unit, blared his sirens in an attempt to pull Simon over, but the driver barreled onto the race course and nearly hit a biker who was forced to swerve out of harm’s way.
Officer Aaron Sanchez, riding a motorcycle, pulled in front of Simon to block him, but the crazed driver drove up onto a berm and escaped the police blockade.
Simon’s made it onto an active roadway before crashing into a stopped car after making a wide right hand turn, as Valerio crashed into the fleeing vehicle.
“That’s it, I’m going to stop this guy, he’s going to kill someone,” the officer said.
Valerio raced up to Simon’s car and performed a PIT maneuver, wiping out the wanted car as multiple officers rushed to the vehicle and trained their weapons on the driver.
Simon was arrested and hit with eight felonies, including alleged crimes include fleeing or eluding an officer, aggravated fleeing, operating while drivers license revoked, and aggravated battery on an officer.
He was also slapped with nearly a dozen misdemeanors and traffic violations.
It is the third time Simon has been arrested for DUI in the past decade, according to officials.
He is currently being held at Jacksonville’s pre-trial detention facility on a $215,042 bond.
Simon’s next court date is scheduled for June 16, according to jail records viewed by The Post.
No injuries were reported in the DUI police chase.
“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,” the sheriff’s office said.
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