Darryl Strawberry Arrested

T A M P A, Fla., Sept. 11 -- Darryl Strawberry, the suspended outfielderfor the New York Yankees, was arrested today and jailed on chargesof reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

No one was reported injured in the incident. Strawberry’s sports utility vehicle hit a street sign and a carwhile weaving through traffic outside downtown Tampa, theHillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said. An off-duty deputy, watching through his rearview mirror, sawStrawberry “weaving all over the road,” the sheriff’s officesaid.

The deputy watched Strawberry’s SUV veer off the roadway and hita street sign, then come back onto the road, police said. Theofficer then followed him, saw him strike an Isuzu, and drive on.

The deputy, driving an unmarked vehicle, flagged down Strawberrya few blocks away and held him until on-duty officers arrived.

Strawberry was held at the scene in the back of a deputy’scruiser, then was taken to jail, deputies said. He was charged withleaving the scene of an accident, property damage and reckless driving.

He rejoined the Yankees last season, but was suspended for mostof it after his arrest in Tampa in April 1999 on drug andsolicitation charges.

Strawberry pleaded no contest to those charges and was sentencedto probation. He was suspended from baseball for a year in Februaryafter he tested positive for cocaine in January.

The eight-time All-Star, started his career with the New YorkMets and later played in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He hastwice undergone colon cancer surgery, most recently in August.