Police officer arrested for DUI in marked patrol vehicle

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — A police officer in south Florida has been suspended after he was arrested on charges of driving his cruiser while drunk.

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Leopold Louis, who has been a Miami-Dade police officer since 2017, was off-duty when he was arrested, WPLG reported.

Hollywood police said that Louis was involved in a hit-and-run crash early Sunday morning, The Miami Herald reported. Officers said the cruiser was found approximately half a mile from the scene of the crash, and Louis was found a third of a mile away from the cruiser.

According to an arrest report obtained by WSVN, Louis told officers he did not know he had hit another vehicle. Officers described Louis as smelling of alcohol, having bloodshot, watery eyes and being unable to maintain his balance. A breathalyzer analysis showed a 0.223 blood alcohol content, which is nearly three times the legal limit, WSVN reported.

“(Louis) continued to state his friend in the marked unit was waiting on him,” an officer wrote in the police report. “The marked unit in the area was his.”

In a statement to WFOR, the Miami-Dade Police Department said, “This officer placed the public in danger in the same vehicle that the community has entrusted as a symbol of protection. I will not tolerate any representative of the Miami-Dade Police Department to jeopardize the community’s trust.”

Louis was suspended with pay, the police department told WPLG.

Louis bonded out of jail on Monday, and refused to speak with reporters, according to WTVJ. Louis was charged with DUI and DUI with property damage.

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