MELBOURNE, Fla. - A chain of events in which an SUV crashed into four vehicles and a house ended when the police caught the fleeing driver, who was toting a pink-and-red bag of cash.
Brett Michael McCoy, 36, of Palm Bay, Fla., was charged Tuesday with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of a crash and resisting arrest in the incident. The Melbourne Police Department said the money's origin was unknown.
The situation began as Darryl Adams was fixing to light a fire and relax in his backyard. He heard a speeding car and shouts of "slow down." Adams ran to where a Suburban collided with a Ford Explorer. The wrecked Ford blocked the road.
"The SUV just rams him head-on, then backs up and rams him again, rams him again," the 42-year-old said. "We could've got him out of the car, but with that look in his eye, I didn't want to chance it."
The vehicle sped off, clipping mailboxes and fences then rear-ended a parked vehicle a half-mile from the first crash scene. After bowling over lawn furniture and scraping along a house, it finally was disabled when it crashed into two pickups.
The three vehicles damaged at the second crash scene all belong to Betsy Hudson-Pugh, 56, who was cooking chicken when her house shook in what sounded "like an earthquake." Outside, she saw a man grasping a "Valentine's Day gift bag."
"He ran, and there was money all over the place," Hudson-Pugh said. "I was scared. My husband just walked out here and laughed."
Linda Moore was smoking a cigarette across the street when the SUV crashed. She said the man frequently dropped cash as he fled.
"He was messed up," the 53-year-old said. "He was stumbling, then fell and rolled. He looked up at me and kept running. I wanted someone to tackle him."
Crime-scene experts found banded 10- and 20-dollar bills on the Suburban's floorboards. They did not disclose an exact dollar amount. McCoy told the police that he was a car broker "on his way to buy a car," Lt. Heath Sanders said. A check of court records does not show that McCoy has an arrest history in Brevard County.
"We did find a good chunk of money," Sanders said. "But if we can't tie it to another crime, we'll have to give it back."
Brett Michael McCoy, 36, of Palm Bay, Fla., was charged Tuesday with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of a crash and resisting arrest in the incident. The Melbourne Police Department said the money's origin was unknown.
The situation began as Darryl Adams was fixing to light a fire and relax in his backyard. He heard a speeding car and shouts of "slow down." Adams ran to where a Suburban collided with a Ford Explorer. The wrecked Ford blocked the road.
"The SUV just rams him head-on, then backs up and rams him again, rams him again," the 42-year-old said. "We could've got him out of the car, but with that look in his eye, I didn't want to chance it."
The vehicle sped off, clipping mailboxes and fences then rear-ended a parked vehicle a half-mile from the first crash scene. After bowling over lawn furniture and scraping along a house, it finally was disabled when it crashed into two pickups.
The three vehicles damaged at the second crash scene all belong to Betsy Hudson-Pugh, 56, who was cooking chicken when her house shook in what sounded "like an earthquake." Outside, she saw a man grasping a "Valentine's Day gift bag."
"He ran, and there was money all over the place," Hudson-Pugh said. "I was scared. My husband just walked out here and laughed."
Linda Moore was smoking a cigarette across the street when the SUV crashed. She said the man frequently dropped cash as he fled.
"He was messed up," the 53-year-old said. "He was stumbling, then fell and rolled. He looked up at me and kept running. I wanted someone to tackle him."
Crime-scene experts found banded 10- and 20-dollar bills on the Suburban's floorboards. They did not disclose an exact dollar amount. McCoy told the police that he was a car broker "on his way to buy a car," Lt. Heath Sanders said. A check of court records does not show that McCoy has an arrest history in Brevard County.
"We did find a good chunk of money," Sanders said. "But if we can't tie it to another crime, we'll have to give it back."