Cops Dodge Wrong-Way Close Call as Davenport Driver Brags About 'White Privilege' After Bust

Authorities say a wrong-way scare on a Polk County road early Saturday ended with a Davenport man in handcuffs, accused of shoving deputies and bragging that his money and "white privilege" would carry the day. He now faces a stack of felony and misdemeanor charges from the overnight stop.

According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the incident unfolded around 1:45 a.m. on last Saturday on Power Line Road in Haines City, when a red Hyundai Veloster was spotted traveling in the wrong lane and forced a deputy to swerve to avoid a crash. The driver was identified as 43-year-old Jeffrey Duke Tyler of Davenport, and a records check showed he has not held a valid driver's license since 2011.

Polk County Sheriff's Office account

The Polk County Sheriff's Office later highlighted the arrest on its social feed, confirming the near miss and subsequent traffic stop in a public post. The agency listed the time and location of the encounter and noted that deputies took the driver into custody after the on-road scare, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

What deputies say happened during the stop and the charges

Per the Tampa Free Press, deputies say they saw a red plastic cup with an alcoholic beverage and a vape pen containing cannabis resin inside Tyler's vehicle. Investigators report that Tyler refused to perform standard field sobriety exercises and declined to provide a breath sample.

According to the same report, Tyler allegedly resisted during the arrest and pushed a deputy at the scene. Deputies say he then shoved the same deputy again after arriving at the jail, and shouted a racial slur while claiming his money would get the case dismissed and that he still has "white privilege." Authorities say he was booked on two counts of felony battery on a law enforcement officer, felony resisting with violence, felony possession of cannabis resin, and several misdemeanors, including DUI, resisting without violence, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving while license suspended or revoked. He was also issued a traffic citation for failure to stay in a single lane of travel.

Booking and next steps

Tyler was arrested on June 6 at about 1:45 a.m. and booked into the Polk County jail, according to the sheriff's office. The office says the investigation remains active and deputies will forward the case to prosecutors for review, as noted on the sheriff's site.