A first date in Florida ended in handcuffs after a gray Corvette carved smoky circles through a church parking lot, sending tire noise and burnt rubber into a nearby neighborhood. What began as an apparent attempt to impress a passenger quickly escalated into a street racing arrest, fresh tire scars on the pavement, and yet another viral entry in the state’s long catalog of ill‑fated stunts.
Authorities say the driver, 28‑year‑old Landon Morris, now faces charges tied to reckless driving and illegal racing, with investigators pointing to video, witness accounts, and the condition of the lot outside Englewood as evidence of how close the spectacle came to something far worse.
The joyride that turned into a case file
According to investigators in CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla, the incident unfolded in a parking lot just outside Englewood that sits close to people’s homes and a church building. Tire marks across the asphalt, described as looping and overlapping, trace the path of a gray Corvette that witnesses say went round and round in tight circles, filling the area with smoke and engine noise. Video clips from the scene show the car spinning in what drivers commonly call “donuts,” with the rear tires breaking traction and the vehicle pivoting around its front end while spectators watched from nearby homes and driveways.
Law enforcement later identified the driver as Landon Morris, who, according to multiple accounts, had his date in the passenger seat during the display. The Corvette’s movements, combined with the confined space of the church parking lot and its proximity to residences, left what one report described as very little room for error, a point underscored by the dense smoke that at one stage made it difficult to see the blacktop or other vehicles. Officers say the same gray Corvette was also heard accelerating aggressively on a nearby boulevard in Englewood, reinforcing their view that the evening’s driving crossed from showmanship into street racing behavior.
A first date, a gray Corvette, and a fast arrest
What sets this case apart from routine traffic enforcement is the personal detail that the ride doubled as a first date. According to Gulf Coast News, Landon Morris had invited his companion out in his gray Corvette, a car that neighbors later described as “very, very loud” when he revved the engine and broke traction in the church lot. The decision to turn a quiet religious property into an impromptu arena for high‑revving theatrics, with a new acquaintance strapped into the passenger seat, added a layer of disbelief for residents who later spoke with deputies about what they had seen and heard…