March 3, 2021 | BY AAGD STAFF
A search warrant has been executed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in the ongoing investigation of Tiger Woods’ car crash that happened last week.
In order to determine if criminal charges are necessary, the Sheriff’s Deputy John Schloegl confirmed to USA Today on Tuesday that the department sought data from the car’s black box. Schloegl said the warrant was a part of due diligence, according to the report.
Was a Crime Committed?
“We’re trying to determine if a crime was committed,” Schloegl said, per USA Today. “If somebody is involved in a traffic collision, we’ve got to reconstruct the traffic collision, if there was any reckless driving, if somebody was on their cell phone or something like that.
“We determine if there was a crime. If there was no crime, we close out the case, and it was a regular traffic collision.”
However, Schloegl’s statement contradicts that of Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who last week claimed that the single-car rollover was “purely an accident.”
Villanueva told reporters on Wednesday that officials would investigate the black box to determine the cause, but ruled out charges of reckless driving or otherwise.
When asked if Woods could face charges for reckless driving, Villanueva said, “No.” He also said, “A reckless driving charge has a lot of elements into it. This is purely an accident.”
“Reckless driving is actually more than an infraction,” Villanueva continued. “That’s a misdemeanor crime that has a lot of elements attached to it. This is nothing like that.”
Deputy: ‘No probable cause’ to obtain blood sample
The Sheriff’s Department continues to rule out intoxication playing a role in the crash. Villanueva said on the day of the accident that there “was no evidence of impairment” on the scene.
Law enforcement did not seek a warrant to examine blood that might have been collected from Woods at the hospital, Schloegl told USA Today. He said that Woods had been cooperative and that there was “no probable” cause for a warrant.
Wood’s Condition
The golfing great was driving downhill last Tuesday, on a road south of Los Angeles known as a hot spot for accidents, when his car hit a median and rolled before coming to a stop in a gully. Woods underwent emergency surgery following the accident to repair multiple fractures of his right leg and a shattered right ankle.
Woods team reports that he is ‘recovering and in good spirits” as he remains hospitalized. remained hospitalized over the weekend for follow-up procedures with his team declaring that he was “recovering and in good spirits.”
On Sunday Woods tweeted his thanks to fellow PGA Tour golfers who honored him by wearing his trademark red shirt and black pants at the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship.
