Camera Captures Man Driving Erratically In Ft. Lauderdale
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) –- It was a wild scene on the streets of Downtown Fort Lauderdale involving an out of control driver.
Cell phone video captured the madness, a man circling repeatedly on the 100 block of SW 2nd Street, the aiming his car at the crowds and police.
The restaurant-and-bar-lined street was busier than usual on Sunday evening, barricaded to cars for a block party celebrating Pride Weekend.
"Everyone's been talking about it since then," Zach Foley told CBS4. Foley is the General Manager of Tarpon Bend, a restaurant just feet away from the chaos.
In the cell phone video a dark 4-door Volkswagen is seen driving back and forth menacingly.
A police officer ran out of the car's way and yelled 'stop!'.
After a few minutes of circling, the VW drove onto the sidewalk at the doorstep of the Himmarshee Pub.
The officer fired his gun and blew out a tire as 37-year old Sheldon Adderley ran out of the driver's side.
Several officers chased Adderley about half a block before he fell face down on the pavement.
"I don't think you can really ever imagine a scenario like that," Foley told CBS4 reporter Donna Rapado. "Ultimately drove back again and then almost crashed into the group of people over there. So thank God that officer thought quick and ended the situation."
"It's really crazy," Maged Mofid told Rapado.
Mofid was setting up a stage nearby when he pulled out his cell phone and started recording.
"We feel like he's gonna crash into somebody," said Mofid. "Everybody's trying to get out of the way because this guy's looking to everyone and it feels like he's going to crash somebody. Especially like if he's on drugs or something. You know, you never know what he's doing."
In an arrest report police described the dangerous moments, writing about how Adderley "...drove with willful disregard for the safety of a crowd of people."
And how he "...drove at the officer to move out of the way or get hit by the car."
"I was trying to keep away. You never know what he's gonna do," Maged said.
"I don't think you can really ever imagine a scenario like that," added Foley. "We see some crazy stuff but this is an original, for sure."
Police charged Adderley with aggravated assault on an officer, resisting an officer and reckless driving.
Fort Lauderdale Police's internal affairs unit is also investigating, which is normal procedure after an officer fires his weapon.
