A Leesburg woman was arrested after crashing her Range Rover into a traffic signal control cabinet while chasing her boyfriend.
Officers responded to the intersection of Griffin Road and Thomas Avenue when the traffic signal stopped working around 4:05 a.m. Friday, May 1, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Further inspection determined that an unknown driver, later identified as 33-year-old Brittany Nicole Anderson, had collided with the traffic signal control cabinet.
This knocked the cabinet several feet away and significantly damaged it. Multiple underground signal cables were also exposed and pulled from the cabinet. The estimated damage to the traffic control equipment was about $40,000, the report said.
While searching the immediate area, the officers found multiple vehicle parts from a Range Rover Sport rear diffuser panel. They checked nearby for an involved vehicle and watched business surveillance footage, but they found nothing. Later that day, a Lake County traffic operations employee saw two females trying to collect parts from the crash scene, though nothing else was known at the time, the report said.
It was not until Tuesday morning that an officer met a witness. She advised that Anderson and her son were dating, and on the night of the incident, she chased him in a dark 2014 Land Rover Range Rover Sport. She then lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the traffic signal control cabinet at the intersection. She later drove the damaged vehicle back to the mother’s residence on Veech Road, the report said.
The mother had seen the extensive damage done to Anderson’s vehicle, including shredded tires and a partially torn front end. Anderson told her that she had “messed up” and explained what happened, the report said.
Anderson’s boyfriend corroborated this, adding that he was traveling westbound on Griffin Road when he noticed Anderson behind him. He turned onto Thomas Avenue, and she lost control when she tried to follow. She subsequently crashed into a fence and the cabinet. He briefly stopped, but after seeing her move the vehicle again, he left, the report said.
Anderson also posted on Facebook Marketplace, seeking replacement parts for a 2015 Range Rover Sport. Photographs from the post depicted a Range Rover with damage consistent with the crash investigation, the report said.
Knowing this, officers went to Anderson’s residence on Oakland Lane to speak with her. She stated she was going fast on Griffin Road when she tried to make a turn. Her vehicle “felt off,” and she believed the suspension gave out. She tried to brake, but they did not work, causing her to collide with what she described as a “big metal box” near the intersection, the report said.
She then experienced a panic attack and immediately left the scene without notifying law enforcement. When she arrived home, she saw that her vehicle had three flat tires, rear damage, and heavy front-end damage. That same night, she posted on Facebook Marketplace to find replacement parts for her vehicle, the report said.
Anderson went back to the crash site the following day and collected several parts left behind from the crash, which remained inside the vehicle. She had the vehicle towed for repairs, as well, the report said.
The New York native was ultimately arrested on charges of tampering with evidence and leave scene of accident. She was booked at Lake County Jail and released after posting $3,000 bond