SEBASTIAN – A motorcyclist reaches into a van at a traffic light in Sebastian to retrieve the keys from a drunk driver.
According to the motorcyclist, he was traveling on Roseland Road heading east towards U.S. Highway 1 when a white Chevrolet Astro Van passed him at a high rate of speed.
The driver of the van was identified as 48-year-old Christopher Lee Carman. The van was traveling in the westbound lanes, going against traffic.
The motorcyclist observed a vehicle in the westbound lanes coming towards the van, so the biker was forced to stop in attempts to give the van more space to return to the eastbound lanes safely.
The van was seen serving in the lanes while still traveling at a high rate of speed until it stopped at a red light at the intersection of U.S. Highway 1 and Roseland Road.
The motorcyclist drove up to the van and yelled at Carman. At the same time, he saw a beer can in the vehicle’s cup holder.
Carman appeared very intoxicated, so the motorcyclist asked him to turn off the van. Carman refused.
Then, the motorcyclist put the van in park and tried to remove the keys, but Carman struggled with him. During the struggle, the motorcyclist punched Carman multiple times in the face to retrieve the keys.
Once the keys were retrieved, the motorcyclist threw them in the grass area.
Deputies spoke with the driver and could “smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from Carman’s person,” according to the report. Carman almost fell over when he exited the vehicle.
Carman told deputies that he “had been drinking through the day,” according to the report. The suspect told deputies that he would rather not perform the field sobriety tests when asked.
Carman was arrested for DUI and transported to the Indian River County Jail. His B.A.C. level was .180 the first time and .173 the second time. The tests were administered about three hours later after the drunk driving incident.
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