Cleveland Browns defensive end Lonnie Phelps was waived from the team after being arrested Wednesday in Florida for allegedly crashing into a restaurant while drunk driving.
“A 23-year-old was arrested for DUI after crashing his vehicle into a Petronia Street restaurant Wednesday night. The building and the vehicle were significantly damaged, but there were no injuries,” the Key West Police Department (KWPD) said on Facebook.
“The Cleveland Browns have waived DE Lonnie Phelps,” the NFL team said Thursday, following Phelp’s arrest.
We’ve waived DE Lonnie Phelps
📰 » https://t.co/ydEYkQM3y7 pic.twitter.com/1OlM22tpg5
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) June 20, 2024
The crash occurred around 8:47 p.m., TMZ reported, citing a KWPD incident report. Officers reportedly said they discovered that a black Hyundai had slammed through the side of a restaurant. Phelps and his girlfriend were identified after police questioned bystanders about the vehicle’s occupants, authorities alleged, the outlet noted.
Neither Phelps nor his girlfriend cooperated with police, the incident report alleged, according to TMZ. Cops said the defensive end refused commands and repeatedly talked over them while allegedly being impaired, the outlet reported.
Phelps reportedly consented to field sobriety tests but allegedly became combative after criticizing how the tests were carried out, according to police. He was later taken into custody and placed inside a cop car, then proceeded to complain during the transport, police alleged, the outlet noted.
“Phelps talked about how thirsty he was,” a police officer put in the report obtained by TMZ. “How he did not know what I was going to do to him because females are the worst, asked me not to kill him, asked me how long it takes to bail out, how long I was the detective and informed me I was Russian.”
Phelps also reportedly refused a breathalyzer and apparently urinated on himself, police documents said. (RELATED: Former NFL Star Terrell Suggs Arrested After Allegedly Pulling Gun At Starbucks: REPORT)
The defensive end was charged for property damage and DUI, TMZ reported. He reportedly has a court hearing set for July.
The 23-year-old first signed with the Browns in May 2023, spending the season on the team’s practice squad, according to the Cleveland Browns. The team later signed a reserve/future contract with him in January 2024.
He previously played college football at the University of Kansas in 2022 and Miami University (Ohio) from 2019 to 2021, according to ESPN.
