Man arrested for DUI after speeding past Spring Hill police at nearly 90 mph

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Good police work by a tenacious Spring Hill officer led to the arrest of a Mexican national, who is now being held in the Williamson County Jail.

Shortly after 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, a vehicle reportedly blew by a member of the Spring Hill Police Department, going almost 90 mph in a 45 mph zone on Main Street. Because of the initial high speed, the officer lost the car, but he didn’t give up.

“Luckily, the officer was tenacious about their investigation and didn’t just give up,” said SHPD Lt. Mike Foster.

The officer soon found Omar Ramirez at a stoplight, so the officer activated his lights and stopped the 23-year-old.

According to a report, when the officer approached the window, he smelled alcohol and saw three open bottles of beer. Body camera footage captured the initial interaction between the arresting officer and Ramirez:

Officer: “Hello.”

Ramirez: “Hi, sir.”

Officer: “Why were you driving so fast?”

Ramirez: “My name is Omar.”

Officer: “Omar?”

Ramirez: “Yeah.”

Once Ramirez was out of the car, the officer reportedly determined the 23-year-old had no driver’s license and suspected he had been drinking.

The officer asked Ramirez, in Spanish, how many beers he had. Ramirez said two or three.

Thanks to a translation service, police conducted a field sobriety test by giving directions in English and waiting for those directions to be repeated in Spanish.

“We have what we call ‘the language line,’ so they get us in contact with one of those interpreters, and we’re able to communicate with people in their native language,” Foster explained.

Throughout the stop, Ramirez would say in Spanish that he was fine. However, law enforcement took him to the hospital for a blood draw and then to the Williamson County Jail, where Ramirez told the arresting officer he’s from Sinaloa, Mexico.

Ramirez questioned whether the officer considered him a delinquent just because he had a few drinks. Because of the language barrier, the officer didn’t answer that question.

“It’s good police work to get a drunk driver off the road. That could have caused a lot of heartache that night,” Foster told News 2.

Ramirez was arrested for driving under the influence, reckless driving, and having no license. Immigration and Customs Enforcement currently has a hold on the 23-year-old.