New York Mets bullpen catcher Eric Langill faces DUI charges in connection with a rollover crash not far from the Mets' spring training camp. He also allegedly tried to run away from the scene.
Langill, 32, crashed his car into a fountain at a traffic circle in Port St. Lucie, Fla., about 11:25 p.m. Sunday, according to a police report obtained by New York's WNBC-TV. The impact caused Langill's white Honda Accord to flip upside down.
Two witnesses ran to Langill's aid and pulled him out of the car through the passenger door, the police report says. Langill then tried to run off, but the witnesses kept him there until police arrived.
In Eric Langill's DUI arrest, the Mets bullpen catcher told police he was heading home from a bowling alley when another car cut him off, WNBC reports.
But police noted "a strong odor of alcohol," along with Langill's allegedly slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and flushed face. Langill first told police he'd consumed two drinks, but later said it may have been three, WNBC reports.
Langill failed several field sobriety tests, and was arrested in connection with DUI. He declined a breath test and "started getting belligerent" when the arresting officer patted him down, the police report says.
Langill faces a charge of DUI with property damage. If convicted, he faces a minimum six-month suspension of his driver's license for a first offense, as well as mandatory driver education. He will also likely have to pay for damages to the fountain.
Eric Langill, who hails from Quebec, Canada, last played professional baseball in the minor leagues in 2006, according to Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. This is his first season with a Major League Baseball team.
Related Resources:
- Eric Langill, Mets bullpen catcher, charged with DUI in St. Lucie County (Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers)
- Mets Bullpen Catcher Arrested for DUI in Florida (New York's WNBC-TV)
- State-by-State DUI Penalties (FindLaw)
- Lenny Dykstra Gets 3 Years for Grand Theft Auto (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)
