A 35-year-old Ocala man is facing felony charges after he allegedly grabbed the steering wheel of a moving SUV on Interstate 75 and caused his girlfriend to crash into a guardrail.
On Sunday, April 26, at around 9 p.m., an Ocala Police Department officer responded to I-75, near mile marker 351, in reference to a single-vehicle crash.
Upon arrival, the officer observed an SUV that was “facing northbound in the southbound emergency lane, on the other side of the median guardrail,” according to the arrest report.
A man identified as Emilio Sebastian Torres and his girlfriend were standing near the scene of the crash. The girlfriend reportedly told the officer that she was having dinner with Torres at a local restaurant when they had to leave early because he was “extremely intoxicated.”
The girlfriend advised that she drove the SUV with Torres seated in the passenger seat, and they merged onto I-75 from Highway 40. According to the girlfriend’s statement, she was driving the vehicle in the outside lane when Torres “grabbed the steering wheel and pulled it towards him.”
An officer noted that the SUV appeared to have struck the guardrail, and the initial impact caused the vehicle to spin before coming to a final rest. The report stated that “skid marks” were visible on the roadway, along with “furrow marks” in the “grassy area” near the guardrail.
Torres was advised of his Miranda rights, and he reportedly told the officer that he was “not in the vehicle.” He allegedly claimed that he had “just hopped the fence” to help first responders following the crash.
According to the report, Torres denied grabbing the SUV’s steering wheel prior to the collision with the guardrail. He then allegedly refused to answer any further questions.
The girlfriend told the officer that Torres had been “upset” at the time of the incident because they were on their way to visit one of his relatives.
The damage to the guardrail was estimated at approximately $1,000.
Torres was placed under arrest, booked into Marion County Jail, and released the following day after posting bond. He is being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and criminal mischief with over $1,000 in property damage.
Jail records show that Torres is scheduled to appear in a Marion County courtroom at 9 a.m. on Friday, June 26.