An 18-year-old St. Louis man reportedly threatened officers after he was arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated following a crash on I-55 near the Hwy. 141 exit in Arnold. The teenager also allegedly told police his parents would get him out of any trouble he was facing, Arnold Police reported.
Police got a call around 4:20 a.m. Feb. 26 about the one-vehicle accident involving a 2003 Ford Explorer. A witness told officers he saw the SUV hit a median on southbound I-55 and then run off the right side of the road where it ended up in a ditch, the report said.
When officers arrived on the scene, the teen got out of the car and reportedly fell into a puddle of water. He slowly got out of the water and allegedly told the officers, “As I’m concerned, I’m pretty close to home,” according to the report.
An officer asked the teen if he had been drinking, and he allegedly said he had drunk a lot and had called a friend to drive him home. However, the teen didn’t say why he was driving himself, the report said.
When the officer told the teen he was under arrest, he allegedly pulled away and clenched his fist. The officer swept the driver’s leg and handcuffed him while he was on the ground, Arnold Police reported.
The teen allegedly told the officer he had been in handcuffs hundreds of times and his parents would make sure he didn't get into any trouble like they always do. The teen was taken to the Police Station, where he was booked and released to a sober driver with summonses to appear in Arnold Municipal Court for being a minor in possession of alcohol, DWI, failure to remain in a single lane, driving with an expired driver’s license, intimidating a city official, having an expired state inspection and resisting arrest, Detective Lt. Jason Valentine said.