TORRANCE, Calif. — Tiger Woods told sheriff’s deputies after crashing a car that he could not remember driving, and he did not know how the collision happened, according to an affidavit for a search warrant used to obtain the “black box’’ of the vehicle Woods was driving Feb. 23.
Woods later said the same thing at the hospital, where he was treated for multiple leg injuries suffered during the crash, according to a copy of the search warrant affidavit obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
Woods initially was unconscious after the crash in Southern California when a resident found the golfer trapped in a loaner car and with blood on his face and chin, according to the affidavit, which was submitted by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Johann Schoegl.
“The deputies asked him how the collision occurred” at the scene of the crash, according to the affidavit .”Driver said he did not know and did not even remember driving … Driver was treated for his injuries at the hospital and was asked there again how the collision occurred. He repeated that he did not know and did not remember driving.”
Schloegl said he believed information stored on the black box — such as the speed the car was traveling at the time of the crash — would assist in determining how and why the collision occurred, according to the affidavit.
Data from the car Woods was driving “constitutes evidence that tends to show the commission of a felony or misdemeanor offense,’’ according to the form filled out to obtain the search warrant. But Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has said the ongoing investigation into the crash is not a criminal investigation.
“The investigators in the accident, or in the collision, they did a search warrant to seize in essence the black box of the vehicle,’’ Villanueva said Wednesday. “And that’s all it is. And they’re going to go through it and see if they can find out what was the performance of the vehicle, what was happening at the time of impact. And with that, they’ll have more information they can attribute the cause of the accident. And that’s all it is, and we’ll leave it at that, OK?’’
Villanueva also addressed why the sheriff’s department did not seek a warrant to obtain a sample of Woods’ blood that could be used to determine whether someone was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
“And investigators will determine what is needed to determine the accident, or the traffic collision.”