Drunken student accused of nearly hitting cop, police say

Suspect's BAC was twice the legal limit, report shows

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A flight school student who was drunk nearly hit a police officer while driving Wednesday morning, the Daytona Beach Police Department said.

The officer was conducting a traffic stop around 8:42 a.m. at the base of Seabreeze Bridge when he hid to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by an oncoming vehicle, according to a charging affidavit.

"He heard tires screeching behind him and he turned around. He then saw a vehicle coming up on the median, coming towards him," Sgt. Kelsey Harris said.

The driver, Khalaf Alshammar, 24, popped the left rear tire on his Mercedes when he hit the curb. When the officer approached about a minute later,  Alshammar was examining the damage to his vehicle.

Alshammar, a student at Sunrise Flight School, had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol, police said. He had trouble following instructions during the field sobriety test, leading authorities to believe he had been driving under the influence, police said.

Two Breathalyzer tests were administered. The first showed a blood alcohol content of 0.204 and the second showed a content of 0.192, the affidavit said.

 "He was partying the night before or drinking the night before or about six hours earlier," Harris said.

Alshammar was charged with driving under the influence. He has since bonded out of jail.


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