Shortly after 5:00 p.m. in Palm Coast, multiple 911 calls reported a black pickup truck striking several [music] vehicles before fleeing the scene. Yeah, I'm in Seminole Woods and somebody just hit me through the back. Within minutes, deputies were searching for a heavily damaged Toyota Tacoma near Seminole Woods Boulevard. What they found was a driver so intoxicated she could barely stand, a confused passenger, and a situation that deputies say was already spiraling out of control before officers even made contact. On Sunday evening, shortly after 5:00 p.m., the Flagler County Emergency Communications Center received multiple 911 calls reporting a hit-and-run involving several vehicles. Witnesses described a black Toyota Tacoma with major front-end damage leaving the area. Yeah, I'm in Seminole Woods and somebody just hit me through the back. Okay, so their car hit your car? Correct. He hit me through the back. All right, we have them on the way, okay? You're staying there, correct? >> were chasing them down. You're chasing them down? No, okay, where are they? >> We're They're driving down Seminole Woods. What vehicle are they in? A Toyota Tacoma. As deputies searched nearby roads, witnesses provided updates on the truck's location. This led officers to Ulaturn Trail and Seminole Woods Boulevard, where they found the damaged Tacoma stopped on the roadside. The truck's front end appeared heavily crushed, but the damage to [music] the vehicle was only the beginning. And a white male. Step out. 10-4 me, white male and a white male. 10-4 minutes. As deputies approached the driver, >> [music] >> they noticed something was wrong. Behind the wheel was 25-year-old Marina Brandon. >> [music] >> According to deputies, Brandon appeared partially clothed, disoriented, and unable to speak clearly. Her movements were slow and unstable. Officers also reported a strong odor of alcohol coming from both Brandon and the vehicle. Marina Brandon remained [music] seated in the driver's seat without any upper clothing on while another man sat beside her in the passenger seat. Before questioning could even begin, deputies instructed [clears throat and music] Brandon to get dressed before stepping out of the truck. Hurry up. Hurry up. Step Put your bra back on and step out. Almost immediately deputies noticed clear signs of impairment. [music] Brandon appeared confused, struggled to follow instructions. Now, you got about 5 seconds before I take you out. Put her bra It's upside down. It's completely upside down. She needs to remove it, turn it up. It needs She needs to take it off and flip it upside down. As she attempted to put her bra back on, >> [music] >> deputies noticed she had accidentally put it on upside down and briefly assisted her so she could properly dress herself. Her behavior became increasingly difficult to manage as the investigation continued. Do you want Do you have shoes in the car? Where's your shirt? All right. It's going to take a second to Yeah. Meanwhile, the man inside the truck identified himself [music] as Brandon's boyfriend. No. Baby. Babe. Honeybun. Officers temporarily detained the man and placed him in handcuffs near the patrol vehicles. I'm sorry. It's just I hate them. We don't hate you, man. We're just trying to figure it out. I do do I don't even know you, bro. This is the first time I ever seen you. Look at me. Yeah, I'm looking at you. I don't. Do you hate me? I don't. At one point, deputies could be heard reading him his Miranda rights. >> Okay, so you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights? I just read them. However, as the investigation continued, the situation appeared to change while officers assessed the scene and spoke with witnesses. How are you folks? Who was involved in the crash here, witnesses? We're the witnesses. We didn't We didn't see the crash itself. >> Okay, who saw the person driving the truck? Me. Male or female? Driving the truck was a woman. Woman, okay. Driving the truck was a woman. I saw a guy just come in. He looked weird. Okay, so the woman was driving. Okay, that's all I need to know. At any point, the male was never behind the wheel? You guys saw him? I did not see him behind the wheel at all. Okay. Well, I walked up to the truck. I did see him getting into another car, though. Okay. I walked up to the vehicle. I was on the phone with dispatch, and they were asking me if there was any injuries. And so I went and I peeked, and the woman was in the driver's Deputies later removed the handcuffs and allowed the man [music] to remain seated inside the patrol vehicle. I'm going home? Going home, that's why I took handcuffs off you. Because of what? Because you didn't You weren't driving the car and you didn't commit a hit and run. So you're going home. That's why you're going home. She And she just She was Unfortunately, she was driving the car. >> I do for her? The situation was shifting from a crash investigation into a DUI investigation. Huh? I guess he's right, goes in those bushes. Yeah, I just say if he just goes over the bushes, make sure he's covered up. Hey. >> 20 21 Deputies evaluated Brandon for impairment. [music] Investigators learned several vehicles had been struck before the Tacoma fled. Now [music] face-to-face, deputies saw clear indicators of intoxication. Her speech was slurred. She appeared confused and struggled to follow basic instructions. >> All right, I'm going to read you your rights, okay? These are your Miranda rights. Real quick, though, we are we are done. Say it again. We're done with the crash portion of everything we have to do. All right. So, we're going to now switch over to [music] a DUI investigation, okay? She's going to read you something. You have the right to remain silent and anything you say may be used as evidence against you. You have the right to talk to an attorney and have him or her with you now or at any time during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to represent you. If at any time you wish to stop talking or have an attorney present, all questioning will be stopped at your request. Do you understand these rights? Okay, with these rights in mind, are you willing to talk to us? Okay. What's going on here? What happened? At one point, officers attempted standardized [music] field sobriety exercises, but Brandon reportedly had difficulty completing the tests. [music] Deputies observed her losing balance repeatedly and failing to maintain coordination throughout the evaluation. All right, Charlie 313. Okay. Stand right here. Okay. I'm going to check your eyes, okay? Yes. Keep your feet together. So, step with your feet together. Oh, yeah. You're okay? Can you put your feet together? Like this? All right, I'm going to check your eyes. Keep your feet together and your hands at your sides, just like that. Keep your head still and follow this pen with your eyes and your eyes only, okay? Do not move your head. >> All right, so now we're going to do the walk and turn, okay? So you see this line right here? Yeah. Watch it. Yeah, step it back. Okay. Stand with your feet together, your arms by your side. All right. What you're going to do is you're going to place your right foot directly in front of your left foot with your heel Before let me explain something. All right. So keep your feet together while I complete the instructions. Don't move until I tell you to do so, okay? So put your feet back together. Put them like this. Okay, we're calling it. Green light, go. Green. What? Green light, go. Uh-oh. >> I'll call for it. All right, watch your step here. Put your shoes on. Okay, what? Put my shoes on. So you want your phone with you, right? Yeah. And it's in that It's in the fishing bag in the front? >> Yeah. Okay. Deputies placed Brandon under arrest. She was charged with DUI with property damage, operating a motor vehicle without a license, and leaving the scene of a crash. Brandon was taken to a local hospital, but refused treatment. She was then transported to the inmate detention facility. That's where breath tests revealed her blood alcohol concentration measured .250. In Florida, the legal limit is .08. She was over three times the limit. What began as a multi-vehicle crash became another example of how quickly impaired driving spirals out [music] of control. Multiple damaged vehicles, a suspect fleeing, a level of intoxication [music] that left a driver barely able to stand, investigators say witness cooperation prevented a tragedy. Marina Brandon was later released on a $5,500 bond. Sheriff Rick [music] Staley later addressed the incident publicly, warning about the dangers of impaired driving. For now, [music] deputies say one thing is clear. The decisions made that evening could have easily ended in tragedy.