SUNRISE, Fla. – A 33-year-old woman was arrested Wednesday, nearly two months after she struck a Nissan Altima with her Lexus SUV, killing the driver of the other car, authorities said.
Police said Emily Bell, of Sunrise, was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine, and was speeding at the time of the crash.
The crash occurred around 11:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at the intersection of Northwest 136th Avenue and Sunrise Boulevard, about a block away from the Sawgrass Mills mall.
According to Bell’s arrest report, she was driving more than 30 mph over the posted speed limit when she crashed her SUV into the back of the Altima.
“A black box in the defendant’s vehicle revealed that five seconds before the crash, she was traveling at 84.5 mph, and two seconds before the crash she was going 85.1 mph in a 45,” prosecutor Ross Weiner told a Broward County judge on Thursday during a bond court hearing for Bell.
The driver of the Altima, identified by police as Roosevelt Joseph, was pronounced dead at the scene by Sunrise Fire Rescue.
Police said an officer who responded to the scene smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Bell’s breath and observed that she was stumbling and swaying, and had a flushed face and red, watery eyes.
According to the arrest report, Bell’s passenger sustained serious injuries to his head and face due to the crash and Bell also requested to be taken to a hospital due to shoulder pain.
Police said an officer accompanied Bell in the ambulance and she became uncooperative, changing her claims of injury and constantly asking to use a bathroom.
“But I don’t actually need a bathroom. I could piss anywhere I’d like,” Bell said, according to her arrest report.
Police said Bell even told the officer she was going to pee on him “for the fun of it.”
“Once inside Broward Health Medical Center, the defendant continued to delay her own treatment and would not cooperate with medical staff,” the report stated.
After admitting that she had “a couple tequilas” at CJ Blacks Restaurant and Bar, police obtained a warrant to test Bell’s blood for the presence of alcohol.
Police said the results proved that Bell had a blood-alcohol level of .15% during her first test, and that she also had cocaine in her system.
“In total, throughout the night, she ordered seven shots of tequila,” Weiner said.
Bell faces multiple charges, including DUI manslaughter, DUI with damage to property or a person, reckless driving, vehicular homicide and driving at an unlawful speed.
As of Thursday morning, she was being held at the North Broward Bureau.
In bond court, Judge Jennifer Hilal ordered that Bell be held in lieu of a more than $150,000 bond.
If she posts bond, she’ll have to wear a GPS monitor and will not be allowed to drive or leave Broward County.