KEY WEST, Fla. – A man was arrested over the weekend in the Florida Keys after he drove his car off the road, into the ocean, authorities confirmed Monday to Local 10 News.
According to Key West police, the incident occurred early Saturday morning at Simonton Beach.
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Police said three officers witnessed the black Dodge Challenger crashing into the water and floating away.
They immediately jumped into the water and broke a window to free the driver and help him to land.
According to police, the driver, Michael Lee Grimes, 41, told officers that he was unfamiliar with the area and had been following another car.
He said when that car made a turn, he continued straight into the water.
Police said the officers acted quickly as the current began to take the car away from land with Grimes trapped inside.
Key West Fire and Rescue responded to the scene and confirmed that Grimes sustained very minor injuries.
He refused medical assistance, authorities confirmed.
Police said divers from the Fire Department immediately searched the area to make sure there were no other people in the sinking car, “which had floated a good distance from where it entered the water.”
The car was tied off to keep it from floating out into the harbor, police said.
“It was fortunate that one of the first officers on scene was a former Special Forces Dive School Training Officer,” Chief Sean Brandenburg said in a statement. “Teamwork is vital in a situation that could have been life-threatening.”
After getting back to land, police said officers smelled alcohol on Grimes and conducted a field sobriety test.
He was then arrested on a charge of DUI and was transported to the Monroe County Detention Center.