A high school marching band in Kentucky came to an abrupt halt after a man drove his car onto the football field where the group was practicing.
Around 50 students were gathered at the Estill Springs Elementary School field for a socially distanced rehearsal. Toward the end of practice, there was a scuffle amongst the parents.
William Caudill, 52, was one of those parents.
“There was a conversation with another parent, it got heated, I think [Caudill] may have told them to shut up or mind their own business,” band director Jason Bowles told the local CBS affiliate.
Caudill returned to his car but didn’t leave.
“The vehicle was parked in one of the parking spots at the top of the hill and I guess what got everyone’s attention was the vehicle actually rolled down this embankment onto the football field,” Bowles said, noting that the percussion ensemble was in the car’s path.
A car drove into this Estill County school field during band practice last night, where dozens of students were practicing. The band director sprang into action to try to stop the driver.
— Shelby Lofton (@ShelbyWKYT) October 13, 2020
I’ll have more details on the incident at 6&11. @WKYT pic.twitter.com/8wT4dgXP57
“Had it traveled six, eight more feet, we would’ve had a totally different news story today,” Bowles said.
The local CBS affiliate saw a video of what happened, which showed Bowles running to try and stop Caudill by banging on the passenger window.
“At that point the vehicle stopped, that’s when I was able to go around to the driver’s side and actually get him out of the car,” Bowles said.
Bowles threw Caudill to the ground and held him there until police arrived. Police would later discover that Caudill’s blood alcohol limit was four times the legal limit. Caudill was charged with a DUI and first-degree wanton endangerment.
