Newly released police reports and body-camera footage have revealed new details surrounding the sudden termination of former Titusville Police Chief John Lau, following a late-night vehicle collision earlier this week.

As previously reported by Talk of Titusville, Lau was officially terminated on Wednesday morning following a preliminary administrative review of a single-vehicle crash involving a city-owned vehicle off Barna Avenue.

The city confirmed that Lau’s dismissal stemmed from his refusal to submit to an alcohol test requested by the Titusville Police Department, which constitutes a violation of city personnel policy.

Bodycam Footage and Discrepancies in Reports
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) recently released documents and body-camera footage highlight key details from the night of the crash:

• Evidence in the Vehicle: Body-camera video released by Titusville police shows responding officers photographing a partially consumed bottle of vodka found inside the city-issued vehicle Lau was driving.
• Titusville Police Observations: According to a report from Titusville police, an officer noted a “slight smell” resembling alcohol coming from Lau before he was transported to the hospital. The officer also observed that Lau had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, though the report noted the officer did not know what to attribute the slurring to. The report also indicated that Titusville officers did not witness FHP troopers taking photographs of the alcohol.
• FHP Findings: FHP acknowledged that a trooper noted the presence of alcohol in the vehicle but maintained that the alcohol alone was insufficient to pursue a DUI investigation. In a statement, FHP said its investigation “did not observe indicators of impairment.” Because no signs of impairment were noted by their agency, FHP did not request an alcohol test.

Investigation Timeline Explains Gaps
The conflicting observations between agencies may be tied to an extended timeline on the night of the incident. FHP confirmed that its trooper did not arrive at the scene until after Lau had already left for the hospital.

According to agency timelines, the crash occurred at approximately 11:17 p.m. Tuesday night. FHP received the call at 11:30 p.m., and a trooper arrived at the scene at 12:30 a.m. The trooper did not make contact with Lau at the hospital until 1:26 a.m.—more than two hours after the initial collision occurred.

FHP addressed the lack of scene photos by stating they typically only take photographs at crash scenes that involve fatalities or serious bodily injuries.

Jurisdictional Boundaries
Titusville Mayor Andrew Connors reiterated that because the crash occurred outside of city limits, any potential traffic or criminal citations remain entirely in the hands of state law enforcement.

“This happened outside of our city limits, not our jurisdiction,” Mayor Connors said. “That’s up to the Florida Highway Patrol to decide what they want to do.”

Connors previously thanked Lau for his more than 30 years of public service to the citizens of Titusville and North Brevard. Deputy Chief Tyler Wright continues to serve as Interim Chief of Police to oversee all department operations during the transition.