Tiger Woods had no public comment the night of March 27. The bodycam footage released this week by the Martin County Sheriff’s office in Florida did the talking for him.
The video, obtained through the Associated Press, captures the 15-time major champion standing at the side of a Florida road, handcuffed, after failing portions of a field sobriety test. The footage offers the most detailed public account yet of what unfolded after Woods’ Land Rover clipped a pressure washer trailer attached to a truck on South Beach Road near Hobe Sound Beach, causing his SUV to flip over.
What the footage shows
In one clip, a deputy asks Woods to track a pen with his eyes. Shortly after, Deputy Tatiana Levenar informs him that she believes his normal faculties are impaired and places him under arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of an unknown substance. Woods, visibly surprised, asks whether he is actually being arrested. Levenar confirms that he is.
A second officer is seen emptying Woods’ pockets. Two white pills are removed from his left pocket, and an officer identifies them as Norco, a brand-name painkiller that contains hydrocodone.
Before the handcuffs went on, Woods told Levenar he had taken a few medications earlier that morning. He denied consuming any alcohol. Once seated inside the patrol car, the footage shows him yawning and appearing to drift toward sleep.
Earlier in the encounter, Woods had told a different officer that he had looked down at his phone just before the crash and the impact happened without warning.
🚨🏌️👮♂️ #WATCH — Tiger Woods’ DUI arrest bodycam footage has been released.
“I looked down at my phone and all of a sudden, boom!”
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) April 2, 2026
Woods’ medical history and the arrest report
An arrest affidavit released by the sheriff’s department described Woods’ eyes as bloodshot and glassy, with extremely dilated pupils. His movements were characterized as lethargic, and he struggled during portions of the sobriety evaluation. Woods told investigators he had undergone seven back surgeries and more than 20 procedures on his right leg, the same leg that was severely damaged in a 2021 crash outside Los Angeles. He noted that his ankle tends to seize when he walks, which he offered as context for his unsteady movement during testing.
The names of the prescriptions found in his system were redacted from the affidavit. The hydrocodone found in his pocket was the same drug detected in his system during a 2017 DUI arrest, in which officers found him asleep at the wheel of a running car. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving in that case and completed a diversion program after checking into a treatment facility.
Woods pleads not guilty, judge approves travel
At a Tuesday court appearance, Woods waived a formal arraignment and entered a not guilty plea to charges of driving under the influence and refusal to submit to a lawful urine test, both misdemeanors.
The same day, he posted a statement to his social media accounts acknowledging the seriousness of his situation and announcing he would step away from golf to seek treatment and focus on his health. He described the decision as necessary for his well-being and said he was committed to returning in a stronger and more focused state.
On Wednesday, Martin County Court Judge Darren Steele approved a motion filed by Woods‘ attorney, Douglas Duncan, allowing the golfer to travel outside the United States for inpatient treatment. Duncan’s filing cited Woods’ complex clinical presentation and argued that his privacy had been repeatedly compromised in ways that created barriers to effective care. The motion stated that the unnamed facility abroad would provide continuous monitoring and a highly controlled treatment environment that could not be safely replicated domestically given the level of public and media scrutiny surrounding his case.
No one was injured in the March 27 crash. The truck involved sustained approximately $5,000 in damage.
