Florida Highway Patrol troopers say a 53-year-old driver spun donuts across multiple lanes of Interstate 95 near Woolbright Road in Boynton Beach yesterday, swerving through oncoming traffic and nearly striking several vehicles — including one carrying two children — before crashing a rented 2026 Ford Maverick into the highway's center wall. Orestes Diaz was taken into custody at the scene after troopers say he threw his own bumper, a purple suitcase and other items over the median into southbound lanes.
Troopers Say Spin-Outs Nearly Hit a Car With Two Kids
As first reported by WPEC, Florida Highway Patrol identified the driver as Diaz and said troopers recovered a black bag containing cocaine and a loaded .327 revolver among the items scattered across the interstate. Troopers also reported finding a loaded handgun and cocaine residue inside the vehicle, along with over 23 grams of marijuana and THC gummies and wax, the outlet noted.
Diaz's donuts and lane-swerving unfolded during active traffic near the Woolbright Road exit, and troopers said the maneuvers forced multiple drivers to react to avoid a collision. The rented Maverick ultimately struck the center wall, ending the vehicle portion of the incident before troopers moved in.
Locked Suitcase Concealed Mystery Pills, K-9 Alerts
Troopers say a K-9 unit alerted on the purple suitcase Diaz allegedly threw across the median, revealing that it was locked and contained what investigators described only as mysterious blue pills. The exact chemical makeup of those pills, and the results of any laboratory testing, had not been disclosed — an unresolved detail that could determine whether Diaz faces additional drug trafficking charges beyond his initial arrest.
Refusal to Test Followed Signs of Severe Impairment
At the hospital, troopers observed Diaz sweating profusely, slurring his speech and struggling to stand, according to the same account, and he repeatedly nodded off before refusing to provide a blood sample. Doctors ultimately cleared him, and he was taken to the Palm Beach County Jail to face charges.
Charges Span DUI to Felon-in-Possession, Aggravated Assault
Diaz faces a lengthy charge sheet stemming from Tuesday's incident: DUI, reckless driving, aggravated assault, felon in possession of a firearm, tampering with evidence and multiple drug offenses, per Florida Highway Patrol's account of the arrest.
The firearm count alone carries significant weight — under Florida Statute § 790.23, a convicted felon who knowingly possesses a firearm commits a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a mandatory three-year minimum sentence if the weapon was in actual physical possession, according to Meltzer & Bell, P.A. Florida appellate courts have also held that driving a vehicle aggressively toward other motorists can qualify as use of a deadly weapon, a standard that underpins the aggravated assault charge tied to the vehicles Diaz nearly struck, per Stone & Capobianco.
Reckless Driving, Refusal Add Separate Legal Exposure
Prosecutors could also pursue tampering with evidence counts for the items Diaz allegedly threw across the median — a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine per count under Florida Statute § 918.13, according to Hussein & Webber, PL. His refusal to submit to a blood draw triggers a separate consequence, since updated implied consent rules that took effect in October 2025 impose an automatic one-year administrative license suspension for refusing chemical testing after a lawful DUI arrest, per the Florida Law Enforcement Liaison Program.
The reckless driving allegations tied to the highway spin-outs carry penalties of up to 90 days in jail for a first offense under Florida Statute § 316.192, according to The Brancato Law Firm, P.A., while a DUI conviction would bring mandatory fines between $500 and $1,000, license revocation and a substance abuse education program under Florida Statute § 316.193, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
A Notoriously Deadly Stretch of Highway
The chaos unfolded on a stretch of interstate with an outsized death toll. I-95 was identified as the deadliest highway in the United States in federal crash-data analysis compiled in May 2026, recording roughly 284 fatalities annually and a fatality rate of nearly 15 deaths per 100 miles, according to WPTV. The Florida Department of Transportation designates this corridor through Palm Beach County as a Strategic Intermodal System highway and a primary state hurricane evacuation route, making any mid-freeway obstruction — like the suitcase and bumper Diaz allegedly threw across the median — a regional safety hazard, per Florida Department of Transportation planning documents.
The Woolbright Road interchange has drawn repeated scrutiny in recent months. Days earlier, a stolen Land Rover pursuit ended when the driver rammed a Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputy near Boynton Beach, as detailed in Hoodline's report on the I-95 deputy-ramming takedown. And in late June, a tow-truck operator lost both legs during cleanup after a multi-vehicle pileup at the same exit, according to Hoodline's earlier report on the Boynton Beach tow operator's injuries.
