JUPITER, Fla. – A drunken New Jersey man carjacked his cab driver late Saturday, crashing the taxi through a gate at Trump National Golf Club as he made off with the vehicle, Jupiter police said.
According to an arrest report, a cab picked up Robert Smith, 52, of Manasquan, N.J., about 10:45 p.m. from Square Grouper Tiki Bar in the 1100 block of Love Street.
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Police said Smith was unable to give the driver the exact address of his destination. So the driver stopped around 11 p.m. at the golf course's front entrance in the 100 block of Eagle Tree Terrace to get more information from a friend of Smith's, using Smith's cellphone, police said.
While the cab was stopped, Smith suddenly smacked the driver across the back of his head several times, police said. When a nearby security guard approached the car to intervene, police said, both Smith and the driver got out of the vehicle.
Smith then got into the driver's seat, pulled forward and crashed through the golf club's security gate as he fled the scene, police said.
Police said that officers tracked the cab back to Smith's residence in the 600 block of White Pelican Way. They found the damaged cab outside the home with its doors open, police said. Officers said they also found blood on the ground outside the home.
When no one answered the door, police said, the officers kicked it open and found Smith lying on his bed covered in blood.
Police said Smith told the officers that he had done nothing wrong and said that had been injured when he fell on his face. Officers said Smith was drunk and had trouble standing.
Smith was arrested and later taken to the Palm Beach County jail. He was released Monday on $5,000 bond.