Videos show Frank Somerville using his Porsche as a makeshift battering ram
Multiple news stations report former KTVU TV news anchor Frank Somerville was involved in a crash earlier late Thursday night.
Somerville was then booked into jail early Friday morning for allegedly driving under the influence and released shortly after.
The crash happened at the intersection of Broadway and Grand Avenue in Oakland.
Somerville was driving a 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S, a twin-turbocharged Porsche with 552 HP capable of a 0-60 MPH under three seconds and a top speed of 198 MPH.
Two of the most widely circulated witness videos are provided below.
In the first video from KRON4, we can see Somerville’s Porsche 911 pushing an Audi S4 towards the intersection’s corner.
According to The Chronicle, the driver of the Audi S4 was stopped at a red light when he was rammed from behind by Somerville’s Porsche. After exiting the vehicle, Somerville proceeds to give it some gas, pushing the other driver’s Audi even further.
“And there’s a gentleman in the car who is not looking at me,” Fortier told The Chronicle on Friday. “He’s gazing straight ahead, gripping the steering wheel. Then he starts accelerating. He’s burning rubber.”
That’s what we see in the second video. It immediately cuts to a presumably drunk and dazed Somerville walking, with his hands cuffed, towards an awaiting Oakland PD police vehicle.
Someone, who I assume to be the S4 driver, takes a series of photos on his smartphone, probably for insurance purposes.
Witnesses at the scene told The Chronicle they banged on the driver’s side door, managed to get in, unfastened Somerville’s seat belt and shut off the ignition.
Somerville was driving barefoot.
Somerville has had problems with alcohol in the past.
Earlier in March, a blog reached out to Somerville after the blogger found out Somerville voluntarily checked into an Alcohol Rehab Center for three days.
“I had felt this problem was beginning to take its toll and I wanted to confront it”, said Somerville via phone.
Later in June, Somerville was pulled off the air for slurring his words.
Then in September, Somerville was suspended for wanting to add a “tag” to a Gabby Petito story highlighting the disparity between missing white people and people of color.
For those interested, Somerville has talked about his love for Porsche on his official Facebook.
“I’ve always thought the 911 turbo is one of the most beautiful cars ever.” Somerville says.
“I swear when I first got the car, I wanted to sleep in the garage just so I could look at it.”
It looks like the above Porsche 997 Turbo is a different from the one involved in Somerville’s alleged DUI. Somerville is showing off that Porsche in a Facebook post from 2017.