Elina Shatkin
Ground beef is not a valid form of identification. Not in Martin County, not in Los Angeles, not anywhere. A Florida man learned this the hard way, when he handed a taco to police officers who asked for his I.D. This was after he had passed out in his car. While sitting in the drive-through lane of a Taco Bell. And his engine caught fire.
In the wee hours of October 1st after downing several beers, Matthew Falkner, 30, made a fourth meal run to a Jensen Beach Taco Bell. While sitting in his Chevy pickup, he placed his order, received his taco and promptly passed out. What happens next is Buster Keaton meets Cops.
A deputy awoke Falkner and then asked for his ID. Falkner said no before reaching into his bag and presenting the officer with a taco. Another deputy clarified they were asking for an ID, not a taco. Falkner chuckled and began eating the taco.
To top it off, Falkner had fallen asleep with his foot on the accelerator while his truck was in park, causing the engine to catch fire. Falkner, whose blood alcohol content was between .227 and .225 (three times the legal limit), was booked on DUI charges.
So many hashtags for this one: #taco, #drunknstupid, ##slapstick, #firesafety, #florida.
[@elinashatkin / eshatkin@laweekly.com]
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