FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A Flagler County man was caught driving backward last week along State Road 100, prompting an unusual encounter for law enforcement, according to the sheriff’s office.
In a release, deputies said that the incident happened on March 13, when several callers reported seeing a silver sedan driving in reverse in the highway’s eastbound lanes.
Deputies added that they tracked the car to a Panda Express parking lot, and it was pulled over near Airport Road after it “spun right round.”
“The driver, William Murphy III, 47, of Palm Coast, said the car had a mechanical issue, and he ‘thought the best option’ was to drive it backward to AutoZone,” the release reads. “Except his mechanical issues evaporated when deputies got behind him... or was it in front of him?”
Body-camera footage released by the sheriff’s office shows Murphy claiming that the car was stuck in reverse, though he didn’t see it as a criminal issue.
“I didn’t think it was that bad, you know what I’m saying?” he told deputies. “I wasn’t even swerving or anything like that or driving fast.”
“You were driving backwards on the road,” a deputy responds.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s the same thing as if you were reversed,” Murphy claims.
“No, it’s not, dude,” the deputy maintains.
Murphy was ultimately arrested and now faces a charge of habitual driving with a suspended license. He was later released on a $1,000 bond.
However, the sheriff’s office noted that Murphy already has over 10 prior convictions for driving with a suspended license.
“If your car is having issues, call for help,” the release concludes. “Don’t audition for the Backwards Driver Olympics on SR-100.”