A 24-year-old bartender is accused of crashing her modified Ford Bronco into a parked Honda, punching the owner, and then begging officers not to arrest her because she thought they were “all friends.”
Elizabeth Boucher faces charges including DUI, battery, and resisting an officer without violence following the incident on August 30 in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Daytona Beach Police Department released home security footage and officer bodycam video that captured the alleged crash and its aftermath.
Crash and alleged assault
Police allege Boucher was driving through a residential roundabout when she veered off the road and ploughed into a Honda sedan parked in a driveway. The impact was so violent it launched glass into the air and shoved the Honda out of its spot and across the front lawn. Video evidence shows her allegedly keeping her foot on the accelerator, with the Bronco’s tyres spinning and kicking dirt into the air.
The Honda’s owner was not inside the vehicle at the time, according to Fox News. Alerted by a neighbour, she ran outside and found Boucher allegedly trying to reverse the Bronco and flee. The homeowner told officers, pointing to where she was hit: “She came at me and she was like in my face. She smacked me right here.”
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, the woman allegedly struck Boucher back, knocking her to the ground. Police say Boucher then got up and followed the homeowner to her front porch until she was shoved away again, as reported by the New York Post.
Officers called to the scene
When officers arrived, Boucher was reportedly wearing a black bra and leggings and showed what police described as heavy signs of intoxication. She had “difficulty standing” and handed over a passport instead of a driving licence when asked. She then handed them her purse and complained “she was hot” as she tried to get into a police car.
Boucher appeared confused about what was happening, allegedly acting “surprised” when told she was in a car crash and not a routine traffic stop. “I guess I hit the front right of their car,” she said. “But I don’t know what really happened.” An officer replied: “You didn’t just hit the front of the car. You took the car completely off.”
When told they were conducting a DUI investigation, Boucher reportedly refused field sobriety tests and tried to walk away. Officers then handcuffed her as she continued refusing tests, including a breath sample, according to the New York Post.
Arrest and court date
“Please don’t take me to jail over this,” Boucher cried. “I thought we were all friends,” she said in footage released by police. One officer replied: “We’re all friends, but we still have a job to do.” She also reportedly claimed she was a mother and needed to get her child something. “I’m not resisting arrest; I just wanna make sure my daughter gets what she needs,” she said in the video.
Boucher was booked into Volusia County Jail and charged with DUI, DUI property damage, battery, resisting an officer without violence, refusal to submit to DUI testing, and possession of a Schedule II controlled substance without a prescription. Court records reported by Fox News say she was released on bail the next day, pleaded not guilty, and is due back in court on October 21.
