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High-speed pursuit in Florida leaves troopers injured

On Behalf of | May 19, 2020 | DUI |

A high-speed pursuit on the morning of May 12 left two Florida Highway Patrol troopers seriously injured and a 46-year-old man facing a raft of felony charges. The Tennessee resident has been charged with driving under the influence of drugs, fleeing and eluding law enforcement, assaulting an emergency worker and causing serious injury and property damage while impaired. After being taken into custody, the man was transported to the Escambia County Jail where he is being held without bond.

Stolen vehicle report leads to high-speed chase

The sequence of events that resulted in the man’s arrest began when a Kia dealer in Mobile, Alabama, reported that a white Ford pickup truck had been stolen from its lot. The pursuit was initiated when Alabama law enforcement observed the allegedly stolen truck on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10. The FHP was alerted as the truck approached Florida. The troopers were injured when their police cars struck each other as they attempted to join the pursuit at a weigh station. Firefighters were called in to extract one of the injured troopers from his badly damaged vehicle. Both troopers were taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital where their condition was listed as stable.

Suspect attempts to flee on foot

According to media reports, the driver of the allegedly stolen pickup truck was unfazed by the accident and continued on I-10 into Florida. The pursuit came to an end when the truck struck the rear of a semi-tractor trailer. The man allegedly attempted to flee the crash scene on foot, but according to police, he was taken into custody without further incident after a brief foot chase.

Attempting to flee law enforcement can have dire consequences

This case reveals how quickly situations can escalate when individuals try to flee from the police. Attempts to elude law enforcement are rarely successful, and they usually lead to more serious charges and penalties. If you feel the urge to flee a traffic stop because you are worried about a DUI charge, a criminal defense attorney may advise you to resist the impulse, cooperate with law enforcement and remain silent.