A New Mexico man suspected of drunken driving wound up trying to douse flames after his car went up in smoke in a Walmart parking lot, KRQE reported.
Santa Fe police said Royce Thomas Sutton was caught on a security video April 29 as he was parking his car in the back of a Walmart. Within minutes, the car was in flames, the television station reported..
"I put the key in. I turned it. As soon as I turned it to get away from there, it blew up,” Sutton said. It just went boom!"
When police arrived, Sutton was trying to put out the fire, KRQE reported. However, officers realized something was amiss and confronted Sutton about his slurred speech, the television station reported. Officers found two empty cans of beer and a small bottle of vodka next to the car.
"I do (have slurred speech),” Sutton said, according to a criminal complaint. “I'm not lying to you, I do."
Sutton then allegedly tried to change his story, telling officers he was “worried about the people” on the side of the store, according to a criminal complaint.
Sutton blew a 0.14 on a Breathalyzer test, KRQE reported. He was booked into jail and was released the next day after posting a $2,500 bond, according to arrest records.
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