BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — A Boca Raton woman is facing serious charges after police say she refused to stop for officers three different times late Sunday night, weaving through downtown streets, giving a fake name, and later admitting to drinking Espresso Martinis before the arrest.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed by the Boca Raton Police Department, the incident began around 11:33 p.m. on Nov. 16 when an officer responded to 449 Plaza Real for a disturbance.
When he arrived, the officer reported seeing a woman — later identified as Fernanda Blanco, 35 — stumbling toward a dark-colored Volkswagen SUV. As he approached, she got behind the wheel and immediately tried to leave, driving up and over a curb while pulling out of the west-side parking spot.
The vehicle rolled south on Plaza Real, turned toward Federal Highway, and rolled through the stop sign at NE 2nd Street. Police say Blanco then made a U-turn near the 500 block of North Federal and drifted across lanes, hitting the painted median.
BRPD initiated a traffic stop at 200 N. Federal Hwy, where the officer was able to walk up to the driver’s window. He recognized the woman as the same person from Plaza Real and ordered her to park and step out. She refused. When he tried to open the door, she allegedly yanked it shut and sped off from the stop.
That was stop attempt number two.
The officer tried again at the next red light, at Federal and Palmetto Park Road, activating lights and sirens. Blanco stopped briefly, then fled again — pushing south on Federal without stopping, according to the report.
At one point she moved into the left-turn lane, and the officer tried a third stop using lights and the horn. Blanco allegedly ignored both and turned into a parking garage at 101 Plaza Real South, driving all the way to the fifth floor before finally pulling into a parking spot.
The officer opened the door and detained her.
When asked for her name, police say Blanco first claimed she was “Amanda Reinfeld” with a different date of birth, then switched back and forth before eventually giving her real name. She refused to explain why she fled each time and would not answer basic questions. Officers noted she appeared confused, glassy-eyed, and smelled strongly of alcohol.
Police say she could not state where she lived and showed signs of heavy impairment, later telling an officer she had consumed three Espresso Martinis and two beers earlier that evening.
BRPD found Blanco in violation of:
• Three counts of Fleeing or Attempting to Elude
• DUI
• Refusal to Submit to a Lawful Test
• Resisting an Officer Without Violence
Because she was immediately taken into custody, no roadside SFSTs were conducted. At the hospital, she allegedly refused a blood draw after implied consent was read.
Following medical clearance, she was transported to the county jail.
Court records show Blanco was booked at 4 a.m. Monday and later released on bond.
