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Justin Jeffers, 43, was charged with leaving the scene of a crash and three misdemeanor DUI charges from the incident.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man is in custody after police say he tried to leave the scene of a New Year’s Eve DUI-related crash in Avondale, that required off-duty officers nearby to the pin the man.
Justin Jeffers, 43, was charged with leaving the scene of a crash and three misdemeanor DUI charges from the incident.
Around 7:30 p.m., dispatchers were told a Ford F-150 struck a Kia Soul near 3627 St. Johns Ave. Two off-duty officers said Jeffers, the driver of the truck, reversed the truck approximately 20 feet from where the crash occurred, the report said.
One of the off-duty officers told Jeffers multiple times to stop but Jeffers did not appear to listen, focusing on the shifter “as if trying to figure out if it was possible for him to put the car into drive,” the report said.
In a video released by JSO, one of the off-duty officers stated he was getting dinner with his family and didn’t know the other off-duty officer.
The off-duty officers then both attempted to take Jeffers out, though the truck was placed into drive and the car appeared to shift forward, the report said. The car was put into park when Jeffers was removed. He tried to leave the scene on foot, according to the report.
The responding officer “immediately detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from Mr. Jeffers,” the report said, in addition to “slurring his words and (having) watery, bloodshot eyes.”
The driver was the Kia was taken to a local hospital with neck and back pain, the report said. She told officers she was driving east on St. Johns Avenue when the truck slammed into the back of her vehicle.
Jeffers was treated for cut above his right eye and multiple leg abrasions.