SUMTER COUNTY, FLORIDA — A non-English speaking truck driver from New York is facing a DUI charge after multiple motorists reported seeing his tractor-trailer swerving across lanes and failing to use a turn signal on Interstate 75 in Sumter County Tuesday afternoon. Breathalyzer results showed a blood alcohol content more than three times the legal limit on both samples.
Motorists began calling in reports at approximately 1 p.m. on northbound I-75 near the Sumter County and Hernando County line. Florida Highway Patrol troopers responded after several drivers reported a white semi with blue lettering failing to stay in its lane. A trooper spotted the truck drifting into the inside lane occupied by a black SUV. The SUV driver was forced to brake hard to avoid a collision. The trucker appeared oblivious to the fact that a crash had been narrowly avoided, according to the arrest report.
The trooper pulled the truck over and identified the driver as Numon Azimov, 36, of Rego Park, New York. Azimov is a native of Uzbekistan and does not speak English. He held a commercial driver’s license issued in New York. The trooper noted concern that Azimov did not meet the federal requirement that CDL holders be proficient in English.
Azimov appeared to have been drinking. He admitted to consuming BuzzBallz, a ready-to-drink cocktail. When asked how much he had consumed, he replied “not too much.” He then retrieved a nearly empty 200-milliliter BuzzBallz container with a straw still in it and showed it to the trooper. Two additional BuzzBallz containers were found in a trash bin in the truck, bringing the total to three containers.
The trooper conducted Standardized Field Sobriety Exercises. Azimov performed poorly and became agitated before refusing to continue, opting to wait inside his vehicle instead.
At the Sumter County Detention Center, Azimov provided two breath samples. The first registered 0.259. The second registered 0.273. The legal limit in Florida is 0.08 — making his readings more than three times over the limit. Azimov was charged with driving under the influence and released after posting a $1,000 bond.
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