MIAMI – A man who barreled a vehicle into a parked car outside Jumbo's Restaurant, killing a minister and a deacon, is accused of driving drunk.
Antonio Lawrence was in court Monday, accused of being well over the legal limit at the time of the Saturday night crash that killed Wilton Harris, a pastor at St. Barnabus William Church who lived in Miami Gardens, and Aljo Hamlin, a deacon from Opa-Locka.
Miami police said Lawrence was driving an SUV when he lost control and hit two parked cars, sending one of them into Jumbo's Restaurant. Harris and Hamlin were standing on the sidewalk when they were hit.
Police said Lawrence failed a field sobriety test and had a half-empty bottle of brandy in his truck. Based on a Breathalyzer test, they said his blood-alcohol level was 0.253 percent, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
This isn't the first time Lawrence, a father of five, has been accused of drinking and driving. He was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence in 2007.
Lawrence faces charges of DUI and DUI manslaughter. He is being held on $30,000 bond, and he will not be allowed to drive if he is released.