Woman Tries To Befriend Police As They Arrest Her For DUI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KbF2JlRn0o

'I Thought We Were All Friends'

A Florida woman accused of crashing her SUV into a parked car appeared to make an unusual attempt to avoid arrest — by reminding police officers that she thought they were friends.

Bodycam footage released by the Daytona Beach Police Department shows 24-year-old Elizabeth Boucher pleading with officers not to take her to jail after police said she drove into a parked vehicle while under the influence.

At one point during the encounter, Boucher told officers, “I thought we were all friends.” An officer responded that they were still doing their job.

Crash Caught on Surveillance Camera

The incident happened Aug. 30 in Daytona Beach.

Home surveillance video released by police shows Boucher's Ford Bronco crashing into a parked Honda in a driveway. The impact pushed the smaller vehicle across the front lawn and out of the camera's view.

When officers asked Boucher what happened, she appeared to minimize the crash.

“I guess I hit the front light of their car,” she told police, according to the bodycam footage.

An officer corrected her, saying she had not simply hit the front of the car but had pushed the vehicle completely out of position.

Police Say Boucher Showed Signs of Intoxication

According to police, Boucher appeared unsteady and had difficulty standing when officers arrived.

She also allegedly handed an officer her passport when asked for her driver's license.

As officers investigated, Boucher pleaded with them not to arrest her.

“Please don't take me to jail over this,” she said.

Police told her the investigation had shifted from a crash investigation to a criminal DUI investigation. When officers asked whether she would participate in field sobriety testing, Boucher refused and attempted to walk away, according to the footage.

She also declined a requested DUI test.

The 'We're Friends' Plea

As officers placed Boucher in handcuffs, she continued trying to convince them not to arrest her.

“I thought we were all friends,” she said.

One officer replied, “We are friends, but I got a job to do.”

Boucher told officers she was not resisting and said she needed to make sure her daughter received what she needed.

When she asked whether she was going to jail, an officer answered simply: “Yes.”

Later, while sitting in the back of a police vehicle, Boucher appeared confused about why she was still waiting.

“Why am I sitting here all alone? Why is nothing happening?” she asked.

An officer responded that this was normally what happens when someone is arrested.

Police Say There Was Also a Physical Altercation

The owner of the Honda told officers that Boucher confronted her after the crash.

According to the bodycam footage and police account, the woman alleged that Boucher struck her and said she wanted to press charges. Boucher was subsequently charged with battery by touching or striking in addition to the DUI-related offenses.

Police also charged Boucher with resisting an officer without violence and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

Boucher Has Pleaded Not Guilty

Boucher was booked into the Volusia County Jail and released the following day, Aug. 31.

She has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is expected to return to court in October. Her attorney did not immediately provide comment to media outlets.

The charges are allegations, and Boucher is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

For now, the bodycam footage has drawn attention not only to the crash itself but also to Boucher's unusual attempt to appeal to the officers personally — a strategy that ultimately did not stop her arrest.