It's hard to believe someone would be watching TV while driving.
But the WCCO I-Team has reported that was a factor when Timberwolves player Eddie Griffin crashed his luxury truck into a parked SUV.
Our video of the store surveillance tape shows the accident at the top of the screen, through the windows of Santana Foods grocery store on University Avenue.
\"Oh my God, that's some big a-- car accident,\" said a witness.
You can see Eddie Griffin's Cadillac Escalade truck smashing into an SUV parked in front of the store.
\"This car was wrapped around this tree,\" said store owner Abed Hassuneh who lives upstairs and owns the store.
He rushed outside to find his brother's Suburban smashed into the tree.
He says the 24-year-old Timberwolves player was drunk.
Griffin also told him he had been watching porn on his dashboard DVD player.
\"The guy was drunk and he was performing sex to himself inside the car,\" said Hassuneh.
\"They are illegal to be used while they're operating the vehicle,\" said Sgt. Rick Klein of the St. Paul Police traffic and accident unit.
He says he's seen TV screens that slide out of a stereo system.
But he says Minnesota law is very clear -- TV screens visible to drivers used for anything other than seeing behind the vehicle are illegal.
\"Distracted drivers are about as dangerous on the road as impaired drivers,\" said Klein.
\"But it's like I'm, I'm drunk,\" Griffin said.
Griffin can be seen on the store's surveillance cameras admitting to being drunk and struggling for several minutes trying to put on a sweatshirt.
But when Minneapolis police arrive, they did not test Griffin for alcohol or cite him with driving while intoxicated.
\"He's not getting a DWI. He's not getting a DWI,\" an officer was heard saying.
Instead, police gave Griffin a ride home.
The I-Team story has started an internal investigation of Minneapolis police officers Daniel Anderson and Matthew Lindquist, and whether they may have violated police policy.
Eddie Griffin was ticketed for driving without a license and inattentive driving.
The driver of the SUV filed a lawsuit against Griffin and the police department.
Griffin responded to the suit today. You can read the full transcription of his statement here.
But the WCCO I-Team has reported that was a factor when Timberwolves player Eddie Griffin crashed his luxury truck into a parked SUV.
Our video of the store surveillance tape shows the accident at the top of the screen, through the windows of Santana Foods grocery store on University Avenue.
\"Oh my God, that's some big a-- car accident,\" said a witness.
You can see Eddie Griffin's Cadillac Escalade truck smashing into an SUV parked in front of the store.
\"This car was wrapped around this tree,\" said store owner Abed Hassuneh who lives upstairs and owns the store.
He rushed outside to find his brother's Suburban smashed into the tree.
He says the 24-year-old Timberwolves player was drunk.
Griffin also told him he had been watching porn on his dashboard DVD player.
\"The guy was drunk and he was performing sex to himself inside the car,\" said Hassuneh.
\"They are illegal to be used while they're operating the vehicle,\" said Sgt. Rick Klein of the St. Paul Police traffic and accident unit.
He says he's seen TV screens that slide out of a stereo system.
But he says Minnesota law is very clear -- TV screens visible to drivers used for anything other than seeing behind the vehicle are illegal.
\"Distracted drivers are about as dangerous on the road as impaired drivers,\" said Klein.
\"But it's like I'm, I'm drunk,\" Griffin said.
Griffin can be seen on the store's surveillance cameras admitting to being drunk and struggling for several minutes trying to put on a sweatshirt.
But when Minneapolis police arrive, they did not test Griffin for alcohol or cite him with driving while intoxicated.
\"He's not getting a DWI. He's not getting a DWI,\" an officer was heard saying.
Instead, police gave Griffin a ride home.
The I-Team story has started an internal investigation of Minneapolis police officers Daniel Anderson and Matthew Lindquist, and whether they may have violated police policy.
Eddie Griffin was ticketed for driving without a license and inattentive driving.
The driver of the SUV filed a lawsuit against Griffin and the police department.
Griffin responded to the suit today. You can read the full transcription of his statement here.
