A Waynesboro man with a history of drunk driving was arrested again Thursday night after allegedly hitting several vehicles in downtown Augusta.
Eric Rene Anton, 30, of Waynesboro, was tackled by a deputy on Broad Street after fleeing a traffic stop on foot around 10 p.m. Thursday, according to arrest warrant. Witness images showed the moments when the officer had him on the ground, with some claiming Anton was tasered while running.
“I saw it when it started,” Dryver Brennan said on Facebook. “He reversed down Ellis for a good block … (before) getting tackled.”
Online photos showed a heavily-damaged black Jeep with a mangled front end. Another witness went on Facebook to beg for more photos of the “drunk guy hitting everyone’s car in downtown Augusta.”
Anton remained in custody Saturday at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center. His charges include:
• DUI
• Hit and run
• Obstruction of a law enforcement officer
• Failure to yield to an emergency vehicle
• Failure to maintain lane
• Improper start from a parked position
• Two counts of failure to notify owner after striking an unattended vehicle
Bond was set at $8,900.
The Waynesboro man has a lengthy criminal history spanning Burke, Richmond, and Columbia counties.
In Burke County, he was first charged as a teenager with theft by taking, followed by a probation violation while still a youth. In 2013, he was arrested for aggravated battery, and over the years, he accumulated a string of traffic offenses including two DUIs in 2018 and another in May 2025.
In Richmond County, he was arrested in 2017 for leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a license. That case remained unresolved for six years before he was finally convicted and fined in 2023.
In Columbia County, he served jail time in 2018 for violating probation.
