Ex-Giant rams cop car, busted for heroin poss.
A former Giants defensive lineman, who was a key piece of their Super Bowl XLII-winning team, was arrested in Florida on heroin charges after he rammed a deputy’s car following a pursuit, authorities said.
Barry Cofield — a free agent who last played three games for the Giants in 2015 — was arrested Tuesday in Lake Mary, Fla., on charges of possession of heroin, fleeing and eluding and aggravated assault on a police officer, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Police found Cofield, 34, passed out behind the wheel of his Cadillac Escalade at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday near Interstate 4 and Lake Mary Boulevard, according to an arrest report. Cofield had his foot planted on the brake, leaving his vehicle stopped at a traffic light for several cycles.
The Escalade then accelerated through the stoplight as a deputy tried moving his car in front of Cofield’s vehicle, setting off a pursuit during which Cofield “did not stop, but did not take evasive maneuvers to avoid me,” according to a Seminole County deputy’s account.
Cofield then sideswiped a car before deputies managed to stop the Escalade near a gated subdivision, where Cofield rammed a deputy’s car as it tried to corner him, according to an arrest report.
The 6-foot-3, 300-pound lineman ignored commands to get out of the Escalade several times before he opened a door when a deputy started smashing one of its windows, court documents show.
Deputies then found two small bags containing a red powdery substance that tested positive for heroin inside Cofield’s pocket as he was placed under arrest. Cofield’s breath also smelled of alcohol and he refused a sobriety test, authorities said.
Cofield also received citations for refusing to submit to a breath test and careless driving. He was taken into custody at Seminole County Jail, where he has been released after posting bond. He declined comment when reached late Thursday, the Sentinel reports.
Cofield, a Cleveland native, was drafted in 2006 by the Giants and played five seasons with the team. He then signed with the Redskins in 2011 and played with Washington for four years before returning to the Giants in 2015. He has 19.5 sacks in his nine-year career.