Man arrested for side-swiping car while intoxicated

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jeremy Catrell Lang, 31, was arrested early this morning after allegedly side-swiping a car on University Avenue and then leaving the scene of the crash.

A Gainesville Police Department officer was at 1000 W. University Avenue at about 2:35 a.m. when she heard a crash and saw a black car pull over and a white car driving east.

The officer stopped the white car and found Lang, the only occupant of the car, in the driver’s seat. Lang reportedly got out of the car and said, “It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me.”

The officer reported that Lang had been driving in the left lane, eastbound on W. University Avenue, when he swerved into the right lane and hit the driver’s side of the black car, which was in the right lane, also going eastbound.

Lang allegedly drove away from the scene of the crash, where the black car had significant damage to the driver’s side and the driver of the black car suffered a minor injury.

The officer also reported that there was damage to the passenger side of the white car, including damage to the side mirror and black paint on the exterior of the car.

Post Miranda, Lang reportedly said he hadn’t been driving but had been asleep while his cousin was driving; he said his cousin took off running before the officer pulled the car over and that he had switched to the driver’s seat when his cousin ran.

Lang has been charged with leaving the scene of a crash with minor damage and driving without a valid license as a habitual offender; he was cited for failing to maintain a single lane. Bail information is unavailable on weekends.

Lang has a lengthy history of driving without a valid license, hit and run, and DUI convictions. He was most recently convicted of leaving the scene of a crash with property damage and driving without a valid license in 2017 and was sentenced to a year of probation. He was arrested on November 28 for failing to appear at his arraignment on a September citation for driving without a valid license and posted $200 bond.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.