High-Speed Chase Kicks Off with Miami Man Offering Cops a Vodka Spritzer, Ends with Cops Tasing Him

A Florida man accused of robbing a liquor store offered deputies a vodka spritzer while leading them on a high-speed chase.

This is just one in a series of bizarre events that unfolded on the afternoon of April 19, according to the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were first alerted to the suspect, 39-year-old Richard Smith, at approximately 3 p.m., when they were informed that an individual had allegedly “stolen several items, including several alcoholic beverages, and walked out [of a local store],” the HCSO said in a release.

Once deputies were on the way, they also learned that Smith “was in a black minivan, driving circles around the store,” the HCSO release read.

Dashcam footage showed Smith suddenly leaving the store as deputies arrived. Then, as Smith’s van approached the police cruisers, he extended his hand out the window and offered the deputies a vodka seltzer.

“I was just going to give you a drink, that’s it,” Smith said as he drove by.

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What followed was a high-speed pursuit that lasted for several miles, until Smith got himself into a fender bender, according to the HCSO.

“After his toast, Smith attempted to ram two patrol vehicles in the midst of getting all four tires flattened by spike strips,” the HCSO said in a release.

Smith then exited his vehicle, smoking a cigarette, and was immediately tased by one of the deputies. At that point, he can be seen falling to the ground in the video.

His face was covered in blood when he finally got himself back on two feet. As he was being attended to by the deputies at the scene, he smiled and said, “You guys had fun, though, right?”

Smith is now facing charges including two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, battery on a law enforcement officer, two counts of resisting arrest, DUI, refusal to submit to a DUI test and petit theft.

His bond is set at $120,000, and he remains in custody.