Smirking woman with questionable eyebrows is arrested for mowing down pedestrian with her Jeep by the beach
A Florida woman has been arrested for allegedly mowing down an elderly man with her Jeep as he strolled over a marked crosswalk beside the beach.
Vanessa Downs, 51, from Clearwater, is accused of drunkenly driving down the strip close to Madeira Beach before striking Michael Arndt, 72.
Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said the deadly collision unfolded around 9pm Friday.
They said Arndt was walking on a marked crosswalk close to the intersection of 150th Avenue and Madeira Way when Downs struck him with her 2022 Jeep Wrangler.
Investigators said Arndt fell underneath the SUV, and was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead from the impact.
Officers performed sobriety tests on Downs, and said she 'performed poorly' while showing 'signs of impairment'.
Pinellas County Sheriff's Office shared a mugshot of Downs, where she appeared to be smirking with her head tilted to one side, sporting striking eyebrows.
She was arrested and charged with DUI manslaughter before being transported to the Pinellas County Jail.
A Florida woman has been arrested for allegedly mowing down an elderly man with her Jeep as he strolled across a marked crosswalk. Vanessa Downs is pictured smirking in her mugshot
Arndt's family have been told, and police are continuing to investigate.
Madeira Beach, where the collision unfolded, is a laid-back fishing village located between Clearwater and St Petersburg on the west Florida coast.
Under Florida law, Downs could face a maximum sentence of 15 years in state prison if convicted of DUI manslaughter.
It comes after a Rhode Island Democrat was caught on camera struggling to complete sobriety tests after she was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence.
Maria A Bucci, a former Cranston mayoral candidate and current chairman of the city's Democratic Committee, was intercepted during a traffic stop December 18.
Police bodycam video from the incident shows her berating officers and throwing a tantrum when they tried to conduct a sobriety test on her.
At one point she bizarrely played the race card, telling officers that 'if I was a black person I'd be arrested'.
Bucci also asked one officer: 'You know who I am, right?’ to which he replied that he had no idea and didn't care.
Madeira Beach (pictured above) where the collision involving Downs unfolded, is a laid-back fishing village located between Clearwater and St Petersburg on the west Florida coast
The former Democratic mayoral candidate repeatedly asked an officer, 'You know who I am, right?' as she was being arrested just after midnight on December 18
She was charged with a misdemeanor DUI and released shortly afterward on a $1,000 personal recognizance bond, but the damage was done to her reputation after the embarrassing clip went viral on social media.
After refusing a breathalyzer test, Bucci was arraigned by a justice of the peace for her first DUI, with her BAC remaining unknown, according to the police report obtained by ABC 6 News.
Bucci also received multiple citations, including for laned roadway violations, refusal to submit to a chemical test and other offenses, as reported by the outlet.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Bucci for comment.
