Felicia Taylor, a former CNN news anchor, has been arrested for a hit-and-run in Palm Beach, Florida.
According to the Palm Beach police, Taylor allegedly rear-ended a black Ford with her white Mercedes on July 28. The Ford was stopped in traffic in front of her and the driver, a 24-year-old man, suffered pain in his neck, back, and jaw after the crash.
“His vehicle was struck from behind by the white Mercedes,” the police report obtained by the NY Post states. “The impact caused [him] to strike the steering wheel, causing multiple complaints of injuries.”
The 57-year-old was arrested and detained at Palm Beach County Jail on charges of careless driving and fleeing the scene of an accident involving injury.
Taylor was “fleeing the scene of the accident without rendering aid or stopping to provide information,” continued the report.
Residents who recognized Taylor from New York City, Hamptons, and Palm Beach social scenes, witnessed her driving twice past the car she collided in a condition that “sustained heavy front end damage.”
The Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) treated the driver who sustained injuries in the jaw, head, neck, and back. Two evaluations by the EMT show Taylor to be unharmed.
“Taylor acknowledged being involved in a traffic crash and the other driver was OK,” a police officer who pulled her over said. “Taylor continued to state that she wanted to go back to her house … and the accident was ‘not a big deal.’”
In the report, Taylor later stated that she arrived from The Colony Hotel. When told that the hotel was closed, the police officer said “Taylor didn’t have a response.” She appeared to be confused as to where she had been, remarked the officer.
“Prior to the crash, Taylor stated she was at a restaurant on Worth Avenue and then stated she was at a restaurant in the Royal Poinciana Plaza. We were unable to locate a restaurant that recalls Taylor as a guest.”
She repudiated being drunk or under the influence of prescription drugs. Despite discovering a bottle of wine in the car with a quarter missing, the report concluded the bottle was out of reach. Additionally, the police officer said he did not pick up the smell of alcohol.
Further statements by the officer show that Taylor “wanted the injuries of the other driver to be substantiated” and said “the damage to her vehicle is her problem, it’s ‘hard to be a good person’ and she didn’t stop at the accident scene because she didn’t know there was anything to be concerned with.”
Taylor was an anchor correspondent based in London for CNN International’s “World Business Today” from 2006 to 2014. She also worked for WNBC-TV from 1998 to 2006.
After being arrested at Palm Beach County Jail, she was released on a $3,000 bail and entered a not guilty plea, denying the charges of hit-and-run.
In a previous incident, Taylor was charged with aggravated Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) in 2015. She side-swiped a car in the Hamptons, had a blood alcohol level three times over the limit, and was transported to a Southampton hospital for medical treatment.
