The Brittany Bianchi arrest happened on the night of October 21, 2023, after a Florida Highway Patrol trooper clocked the 31-year-old driving 120 mph across the Gandy Bridge between Tampa and St. Petersburg, more than double the 55 mph limit. What started as a speeding stop turned into a felony case: troopers say Bianchi was drunk, dug her fingernails into the arresting trooper’s hand from the back of the patrol car, and tried to reach through the partition for his rifle. She was booked on eight charges, including her third DUI in ten years and battery on a law enforcement officer.1KRDO. Florida Woman Arrested for DUI After Traveling 120 MPH, Accused of Attacking Officer With Fingernails
The Stop on the Gandy Bridge
The trooper pulled Bianchi’s Mercedes over on the causeway across Old Tampa Bay. Approaching the car, he reported a strong odor of alcohol, bloodshot and watery eyes, and slurred speech.2Click Orlando. Florida Woman Accused of Digging Fingernails Into Trooper After Speeding 120 MPH
Patrol car footage caught Bianchi denying she had been drinking. “You have no proof that I was drinking. You have no proof that I was doing anything wrong except for speeding,” she told the trooper, adding, “I have a 7-year-old at home. I didn’t drink. I didn’t do anything wrong.”3FOX 35 Orlando. Florida Woman’s Drunken Ride at 120 MPH Ends With Violent Fingernail Attack on Trooper, FHP Says No blood alcohol figure has been publicly reported.
What Happened in the Patrol Car
After she was handcuffed and placed in the back seat, the arrest affidavit says Bianchi became “very argumentative and resistive,” yelling at the trooper through the partition window and trying to force it open, claiming it was her “right to have it open.”2Click Orlando. Florida Woman Accused of Digging Fingernails Into Trooper After Speeding 120 MPH
When the trooper tried to close the partition, Bianchi blocked it with her hands. As he moved them, she dug her fingernails into his hand hard enough to draw blood. The affidavit says she saw the injury and yelled “Good!”2Click Orlando. Florida Woman Accused of Digging Fingernails Into Trooper After Speeding 120 MPH On camera, the trooper told a fellow officer, “she was fighting with me through the window, I started bleeding.”3FOX 35 Orlando. Florida Woman’s Drunken Ride at 120 MPH Ends With Violent Fingernail Attack on Trooper, FHP Says
FHP also reported that Bianchi tried to reach through the partition to grab the trooper’s rifle. Additional officers were called to help control her.2Click Orlando. Florida Woman Accused of Digging Fingernails Into Trooper After Speeding 120 MPH
The Charges
Bianchi was booked on the following counts:3FOX 35 Orlando. Florida Woman’s Drunken Ride at 120 MPH Ends With Violent Fingernail Attack on Trooper, FHP Says
- DUI, third offense within ten years
- Battery on a law enforcement officer
- Resisting an officer with violence
- Habitual traffic offender
- Possession of marijuana
- Possession of drug paraphernalia
- Speeding
- Driving without insurance
The battery count is the most serious of the group. Under Florida Statute 784.07, a battery that would ordinarily be a first-degree misdemeanor is automatically reclassified as a third-degree felony when the victim is a law enforcement officer acting in the lawful performance of their duties.4Florida Senate. Florida Statute 784.07 – Assault or Battery of Law Enforcement Officers A third DUI inside a ten-year window also carries enhanced penalties, and the habitual traffic offender charge points to a prior pattern of driving-related infractions.
Booking and Bond
Bianchi was taken to the Pinellas County Jail. Bond was set at $12,800, and she was later released.3FOX 35 Orlando. Florida Woman’s Drunken Ride at 120 MPH Ends With Violent Fingernail Attack on Trooper, FHP Says