Chicken-Eating, Cell Phone-Using Driver Says He Was "Distracted" When He Nearly Plowed Into Police Car

While driving a vehicle filled with drugs and guns, Shawn Smith was simultaneously eating chicken and using a cell phone when he almost plowed into a marked police car while attempting a U-turn around midnight Friday.

This series of bad choices culminated in the arrest of the 33-year-old Floridian by the Bradenton Police Department. Smith, pictured in the mug shot at right, was collared on a felony cocaine count and a misdemeanor drug paraphernalia rap.

When Officer Chris Liotti initiated a traffic stop after the near-miss, Smith “advised he was on the cell phone and eating chicken so he was distracted,” according to a probable cause affidavit excerpted here. Smith was freed Sunday from the Manatee County jail after posting $13,500 bond.