Police Found Tiger Woods Asleep At The Wheel With Car Running
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JUPITER (CBSMiami/AP) – Tiger Woods was asleep inside his car when authorities found him, according to a police report released Tuesday.
Woods was wearing his seat belt with his black Mercedes still running and the right blinker flashing.
His car was stopped in the right lane of Military Trail, a six-lane road south of Indian Creek Parkway, in Jupiter.
The report describes Woods' speech as "extremely show and slurred, mumbled, confused."
Woods also told Jupiter Police officers that he took several prescription medications, including Vicodin.
There was, however, no alcohol in his system.
He failed several field sobriety tests, described by the report as "sluggish, sleepy, unable to walk alone."
The FDA warning for Vicodin says it "may impair the mental and/or physical abilities required for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks such as driving a car or operating machinery; patients should be cautioned accordingly."
Woods was arrested on suspicion of DUI early Monday morning and spent nearly four hours in jail before he was released on his own recognizance.
Woods said an "unexpected reaction" to prescription medicine — not alcohol — was the reason for his arrest. He said he understands the severity of the incident and takes full responsibility.
"I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved," he said. "What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. I didn't realize the mix of medications had affected me so strongly."
Woods said he wanted to apologize to his family, friends and fans, adding that "I expect more from myself, too."
"I will do everything in my power to ensure this never happens again," he said.
Woods, a 14-time major champion who ranks No. 2 in PGA Tour history with 79 victories, has not played golf for four months.
He had a fourth back surgery on April 20, and just five days ago reported on his website that the fusion surgery brought instant relief from pain and that he "hasn't felt better in years."
Woods has not been seen at a golf tournament since he opened with a 77 at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in February, withdrawing the next day because of back spasms. He was in Los Angeles for the Genesis Open, run by his Tiger Woods Foundation, but he did not come to the course at Riviera because of his back.
He was at the Masters, but only to attend the dinner for past champions.
Woods, who had been No. 1 longer than any other golfer, has not been a factor since his last victory in August 2013 as he battled through back surgeries from a week before the 2014 Masters until his most recent fusion surgery on his lower back a month ago.
This was the first time Woods has run into trouble off the golf course since he plowed his SUV into a tree and a fire hydrant outside his Windermere, Florida, home in the early morning after Thanksgiving in 2009, which led to revelations that he had multiple extramarital affairs.
A police report then showed that a Florida trooper who suspected Woods was driving under the influence sought a subpoena for the golfer's blood test results from the hospital, but prosecutors rejected the petition for insufficient information.
A witness, who wasn't identified in the report, told the trooper he had been drinking alcohol earlier. The same witness also said Woods had been prescribed two drugs, the sleep aid Ambien and the painkiller Vicodin. The report did not say who the witness was but said it was the same person who pulled Woods from the vehicle after the accident. Woods' wife has told police that she used a golf club to smash the back windows of the Cadillac Escalade to help her husband out.
He eventually was cited for careless driving and fined $164.
Woods and wife Elin Nordegren divorced in 2010. He later had a relationship with Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn that lasted two years.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
