In a heart-stopping video, a suspected intoxicated driver was caught on camera as he recklessly drove through a Florida IRONMAN race. The incident triggered a dramatic police pursuit, with officers concerned the driver might fatally injure someone.
The driver, identified as 62-year-old Darrell Simon, allegedly sped his white Ford Focus through Jacksonville, Florida, during the city’s first-ever IRONMAN Jacksonville event on May 16. Thousands of athletes were participating in the race.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Simon reportedly ignored barriers, driving dangerously along the designated bike and running paths, endangering both competitors and spectators.
Officer Ernesto Valerio, who was managing traffic at an intersection during the marathon portion of the event, quickly responded. The dashcam footage, released by the sheriff’s office on Tuesday, shows Valerio maneuvering his patrol car through side streets in pursuit of Simon.
Despite Valerio’s efforts, including the use of his vehicle’s sirens, Simon entered the race course, nearly colliding with a cyclist who had to swerve to avoid being hit.
Officer Aaron Sanchez, on a motorcycle, attempted to block Simon’s path. However, Simon managed to evade capture by driving onto a berm, bypassing 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.
