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Browns DE Lonnie Phelps Arrested After Crashing Car Into Restaurant

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James Foglio
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Updated20 Jun 2024

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Cleveland Browns DE Lonnie Phelps Arrested For DUI After Crashing Car Into Restaurant

Cleveland Browns defensive end Lonnie Phelps was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) Wednesday night after police said he crashed his SUV into the Red Shoe Island Bistro in Key West, Florida.

Cleveland Browns' Lonnie Phelps was charged with DUI and damaging property after causing $300,000 in damage

Phelps, 23, also faces a charge for damaging property. A black Hyundai was wedged into the side of the restaurant just before 8 p.m., according to photographs of the scene obtained by TMZ Sports.

Joseph Schroeder, the building's owner, estimated the damages at $300,000. Phelps was taken into custody after refusing to cooperate with officers, according to a Monroe County Sheriff's Office report acquired by Cleveland.com.

Officers claimed Phelps agreed to voluntary field sobriety tests. However, he became combative after they say he complained about how they were administered. He was then placed in custody and put in the back of a squad car.

“Phelps talked about how thirsty he was,” one officer wrote in the report, “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 refused to take a breathalyzer and urinated on himself

At the station, cops say Phelps was just as uncooperative. According to the report, he refused to take a breathalyzer and even urinated on himself while sitting on a chair. He's due in court for a hearing on the matter next month.

A spokesman for the Browns said the team is aware of the incident and is gathering more information. He said the team had no further comment.

Phelps signed with the Browns as an undrafted free agent in May 2023, and he spent last NFL season on their practice squad. Cleveland signed him to a reserve contract in January.

Phelps played college football at Miami (OH) from 2019 to 2021 and at Kansas in 2022. He recorded 23 sacks and 29.5 tackles for loss in 41 games.