Man accused of driving drunk crashes into canal at Pembroke Pines park, cops say
Police have identified and charged a driver accused of crashing into a canal at a Pembroke Pines park Saturday, sending a nearby birthday party into a frenzy.
Officers responded to reports of a car crash at C.B. Smith Park shortly after 5 p.m. Oct. 18, to find a 2001 silver Mercedes partially submerged in a canal, reads the driver’s arrest report.
They say they found a 50-year-old Miami Gardens resident behind the wheel and smelled a “strong odor of an alcocholic beverage emanating from his breath” when helping him out of the vehicle.
Willie Robertson was celebrating his granddaughter’s birthday at C.B. Smith Park alongside 20 friends and family members when he saw the Mercedes “going at 60 , hit that curve and veer off” into the ditch, he told the Pembroke Pines News.
“He absolutely lost control, took down poles that were concrete and in the ground,” said the grandfather, who drove down from his home in Lake County for the party.
Another family member also spotted empty “alcoholic beverage containers” on the passenger side when attempting to free the driver from the partly-submerged sedan, according to the arrest report. Robertson added that a Smirnoff bottle and beer cans were visible inside.
A field sobriety test and interview — in which the driver was observed “speaking slowly, losing track of his statements and exhibiting slurred speech” — led to PPPD cuffing the 50-year-old and taking him in for a breath alcohol test, according to the report.
His results, police say, were nearly 2.5 times higher than Florida’s legal blood alcohol limit.
The Miami man faces three charges of driving under the influence and is being held at Broward’s Main Jail on a $3,000 bond as of Monday afternoon, records show.
C.B. Smith Park’s personnel intends to press charges for property damage that is estimated at $5,000 for “approximately 100 feet of guardrail,” according to PPPD.
This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 5:41 PM.
