LEESBURG, Fla. — A Leesburg man accused of driving under the influence repeatedly told police he was not actually driving because his Tesla could drive itself, according to an arrest affidavit.
Quyen Thanh Le, 53, was arrested Sept. 15 on charges of DUI and refusing to submit to a lawful breath or urine test.
The unusual explanation came after police were called about a Tesla Cybertruck stopped in the roadway near Newell Hill Road and Shady Trail.
Witness says Cybertruck crossed into his lane
According to the affidavit, a caller reported seeing a Cybertruck sitting in the middle of the road while still running. The caller told dispatchers the man in the driver’s seat appeared to be slurring his words.
The witness later told officers he had been driving south on Newell Hill Road when the Cybertruck, traveling north, entered his lane and forced him to drive onto the grass to avoid a collision.
The witness said the Cybertruck eventually began moving again before officers located it.
Police said they then saw the Cybertruck traveling near U.S. 441 before it turned into a subdivision and pulled partly onto the grass of a driveway.
When officers approached, they reported smelling a strong odor of alcohol after Le, who was the vehicle’s sole occupant, opened the driver’s door.
Police said Le’s speech was slurred and that he acknowledged he had been drinking.
‘It drives itself’
The affidavit says Le told officers the vehicle’s key was on his phone, which was sitting in the center console.
He then told officers the Tesla was “self-driving” and that he was not the driver.
Police asked Le to perform field sobriety exercises, but he refused, according to the affidavit.
After he was taken to the Leesburg Police Department, investigators used a third-party interpreter to communicate with him.
Le told officers he had consumed “three small bottles of Corona” and again declined to perform field sobriety exercises, according to the affidavit.
Police say driver continued blaming Tesla
Le later agreed to provide a breath sample but was unable to produce a valid result during the first attempt, police said.
After additional instructions and another attempt, officers said Le did not continuously blow into the machine, resulting in another invalid test. Police ultimately recorded the breath test as a refusal.
While an interpreter was helping officers explain the citations, police said Le continued insisting that he had not been driving because the vehicle was a Tesla and “it drives itself.”
The officer wrote that he explained to Le that Tesla’s self-driving function still required active supervision and that a person operating the vehicle remained responsible for its control.
According to the affidavit, Le responded that officers were “overreacting.”
Le was taken to the Lake County Jail without further incident.
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