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Tampa woman drunkenly struck Davis Islands pedestrian, then drove off, police say

 
Danielle Swanson, 34, of Tampa was arrested Tuesday after she hit a pedestrian on Davis Islands with her Toyota Camry while driving drunk and then fled the scene, police said. [Tampa Police Department]
Danielle Swanson, 34, of Tampa was arrested Tuesday after she hit a pedestrian on Davis Islands with her Toyota Camry while driving drunk and then fled the scene, police said. [Tampa Police Department]
Published April 24, 2019

TAMPA — A 34-year-old woman faces charges after police said she struck a Davis Islands pedestrian while driving drunk and didn't stop on Tuesday night, according to police.

The incident took place shortly before 9 p.m. at the intersection of E Davis Boulevard and Biscayne Avenue. Danielle Swanson was driving a 2014 Toyota Camry north on E Davis Boulevard when Tampa police said she struck the pedestrian while he was walking east across the roadway.

Swanson did not stop after the crash, and a witness followed her until police arrived and stopped her about four miles north at N Nebraska Avenue and E 17th Avenue. The Camry had a spiderweb-shaped crack in the windshield, officers noted in the arrest report, and they also found human hair embedded in the glass.

Officers found that Swanson "was highly confused, had difficulty following simple instructions and had a blank look about her face," according to the arrest report. She was unsteady on her feet and needed help to keep from falling down. The report said she failed field sobriety exercises. A Breathalyzer exam showed that her blood alcohol levels were 0.164 and 0.156, according to jail records. Under Florida law, a driver is presumed to be impaired at 0.08 or higher.

The pedestrian suffered a cut to the back of his head and may also have broken his ankle, according to the arrest report. He was taken to Tampa General Hospital for treatment of injuries described as non-life threatening. The Tampa Police Department did not release his name because of the agency's interpretation of a state constitutional amendment known as Marsy's Law.

Swanson was booked into the Hillsborough County jail on charges of leaving the scene of a crash involving serious injury, DUI with serious bodily injury and DUI with a blood alcohol level over 0.15. She was freed on Wednesday after posting $10,000 bail.

Contact Tony Marrero at tmarrero@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3374. Follow @tmarrerotimes.