Tiger Woods was arrested for DUI after his SUV overturned while overtaking another vehicle. Photo / Getty Images
Tiger Woods was arrested for DUI after his SUV overturned while overtaking another vehicle. Photo / Getty Images
Tiger Woods was found dazed at the side of a road and later asleep in the back of a police car following a crash that led to his latest DUI arrest, according to footage released by authorities.
The golf icon, 50, was arrested after his SUV overturned while attempting toovertake another vehicle at speed, with officers from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office later finding two opioid pills in his possession.
Newly released police footage has now shown Woods appearing lethargic, unsteady and sweating at the roadside, before being transported to jail in a 17-minute clip in which he yawns, hiccups and briefly falls asleep.
According to an arrest affidavit, Woods told officers he had been distracted by his phone while driving, and subsequent searches revealed pills marked “M367,” identified as hydrocodone – a medication used to treat severe pain and described by the National Institute on Drug Abuse as “highly addictive”.
Woods said in the arrest footage: “I looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden... boom!”
He added: “Yeah, yeah,” when asked by an officer if he was comfortable while kneeling on the grass verge during medical checks.
Police found opioid pills on Woods, who appeared lethargic and unsteady in newly released footage. Photo / Getty Images
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said: “He had been travelling at ‘high speeds’ on a residential road and after the crash showed ‘signs of impairment’.”
He added: “[Woods is] co-operative, but he’s not trying to incriminate himself.”
The affidavit states Woods appeared “limping and stumbling” during a field sobriety test and was deemed unfit to drive.
Officers reported his eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and his pupils “extremely dilated”.
When asked if he was taking prescription medication, Woods said: “I take a few.”
He agreed to a breathalyser test, which showed no presence of alcohol, but refused to provide a urine sample.
Authorities said the crash occurred when Woods attempted to pass a truck towing a pressure-cleaner trailer on a two-lane road. The vehicle swerved, clipped the trailer and rolled on to its side, with Woods exiting the vehicle afterwards.
He has been charged with driving under the influence, property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
The incident marks the latest in a series of crashes involving Woods, including a 2021 accident that resulted in serious leg and ankle injuries.
It is also the second time he has been arrested for a DUI not linked to alcohol, following a 2017 incident in which he was found asleep at the wheel.
US President Donald Trump, 79, said about the incident: “I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty. Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person. Amazing man. But, some difficulty.”
