Intoxicated Tampa driver runs over sleeping man, crashes into Carrabba’s, police say

Tony Marrero, Tampa Bay Times
·2 min read
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Tampa police arrested a driver Tuesday who investigators say was under the influence of alcohol when he lost control of his car, ran over a sleeping man and then crashed into a Carrabba’s restaurant.

Angel Manuel Molina, 30, of Tampa is facing charges of DUI manslaughter, driving without a valid license involving a death, DUI with property damage and refusing to submit to testing.

Molina was driving south on North Dale Mabry Highway at a high rate of speed around 9:40 p.m. when he made a sudden lane change and lost control, according to a news release from the Tampa Police Department. Molina’s car left the roadway, struck a utility pole and ran over a man who was sleeping near the parking lot of the Carrabba’s Italian Grill at 700 N. Dale Mabry, police said. Molina’s vehicle then crashed into the building.

Witnesses told police that Molina removed a can of an alcoholic beverage from his car before officers arrived. Molina showed signs of impairment and refused a breath test, but a medical test showed his blood alcohol level was 0.187, according to police. A driver in Florida is presumed to be impaired at 0.08 or higher.

Police said Molina’s license was suspended in December 2021.

Molina was booked into the Hillsborough County jail, where he was being held without bond on Wednesday.

Police have not released the name of the man who was killed because investigators were still working to notify his family, the news release said.

Hillsborough court records show that Molina in 2019 pleaded no contest to DUI resulting in property damage or injury, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage and marijuana possession. An arrest affidavit states that he left the scene of a crash in the Egypt Lake-Leto area that caused about $1,000 in damage.