After an evening of tailgating, a UF student rear-ended a scooter while drunk Saturday, Gainesville Police said.
At about 9:45 p.m., James Guan Zhang, 21, was driving eastbound on Southwest Eighth Avenue when he hit the scooter, which had stopped for a red light, at the intersection of Southwest Eighth Avenue and Southwest 10th Street, according to a police report.
James Guan Zhang
The driver and passenger of the scooter were thrown from the vehicle but suffered nonlife-threatening injuries, according to the report.
Zhang is currently enrolled as a chemistry senior at UF, said Steve Orlando, a UF spokesman.
When police arrived, Zhang looked impaired and smelled of alcohol, according to the report. While sitting in the passenger seat of his car, he later fell unconscious with his chin resting on his chest.
After coming to, Zhang told police he was heading to his apartment after attending a tailgating event on UF’s Flavet Field, although he was driving in the wrong direction, according to the report. Zhang said he thought he was still on campus.
He told police a bright light had momentarily blinded him while he approached the red light, which led to the crash, according to the report.
Police arrested Zhang on two charges of driving under the influence with property damage. At the GPD station, his blood-alcohol levels were recorded to be .158 and .171 percent, according to the report. The legal limit in the U.S. is .08 percent.
Authorities took him to the Alachua County Jail where he was released Sunday on his own recognizance. As of press time, Zhang could not be immediately reached for comment.
mvassolo@alligator.org
@martindvassolo
After an evening of tailgating, a UF student rear-ended a scooter while drunk Saturday, Gainesville Police said.
At about 9:45 p.m., James Guan Zhang, 21, was driving eastbound on Southwest Eighth Avenue when he hit the scooter, which had stopped for a red light, at the intersection of Southwest Eighth Avenue and Southwest 10th Street, according to a police report.
The driver and passenger of the scooter were thrown from the vehicle but suffered nonlife-threatening injuries, according to the report.
Zhang is currently enrolled as a chemistry senior at UF, said Steve Orlando, a UF spokesman.
When police arrived, Zhang looked impaired and smelled of alcohol, according to the report. While sitting in the passenger seat of his car, he later fell unconscious with his chin resting on his chest.
After coming to, Zhang told police he was heading to his apartment after attending a tailgating event on UF’s Flavet Field, although he was driving in the wrong direction, according to the report. Zhang said he thought he was still on campus.
He told police a bright light had momentarily blinded him while he approached the red light, which led to the crash, according to the report.
Police arrested Zhang on two charges of driving under the influence with property damage. At the GPD station, his blood-alcohol levels were recorded to be .158 and .171 percent, according to the report. The legal limit in the U.S. is any number below .08 percent.
Authorities took him to the Alachua County Jail where he was released on his own recognizance Sunday. As of press time, Zhang could not be immediately reached for comment.
