Lindsay Lohan Arrest: Surveillance Video May Prove Victim Is Exaggerating

The Dream Hotel in New York City, where Lindsay Lohan allegedly struck a pedestrian with her car early Wednesday morning, is in possession of a surveillance video showing the entire incident, and it may actually support Lohan’s case, according to a new report from TMZ.

Lohan allegedly struck the knee of a 34-year-old man while trying to park her Porsche Cayenne at around 2 a.m. before leaving the scene. She was arrested about 30 minutes later and charged with a hit-and-run. After being brought into custody, Lohan was quickly released with a desk appearance ticket.

According to the New York Daily News, the victim in question was a Manhattan chef named Jose Rodriguez, who claimed he was walking on an underground ramp near the hotel Lohan was staying in, when her car breezed past him and hit him.

Rodriguez told reporters that he had just gotten out of work at the nearby restaurant, Bottega, when he “saw this car come real quick and hit me.” He said that he was then taken to Bellevue and given morphine.

“I was in so much pain,” said Rodriguez. “I fell to the side.” Rodriguez also claimed that the star “smelled like alcohol real bad” and added that he received unfair treatment from the police due to Lohan’s celebrity status.

“They acted like I was nothing,” he said. “That no one could touch her because she was rich and powerful.”

New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly countered Rodriguez’s claims, saying that police did not believe Lohan was driving under the influence and did not perform a Breathalyzer, reported the Daily News.

Although Lohan was charged in March in a similar incident in Hollywood, she was not prosecuted. Both Lohan and her father claim that Rodriguez concocted the story, and according to TMZ, claim a surveillance videotape that captured the incident seems to validate Lohan’s story.

The video reportedly shows Lohan driving down the ramp at a very slow pace, contrary to Rodriguez’s claims. It appears that she came close to the victim, but it is unclear whether her car grazed his knee or not, based on the tape. According to a source, the two detectives who examined the video were in dispute about whether or not Lohan’s car came into contact with Rodriguez.

On Monday, Lohan commented on the vehicular troubles of former child star Amanda Bynes, tweeting “Why did I get put in jail and a nickelodeon star has had NO punishment(s) so far?” Lohan later deleted the comment from her account.