Florida Officers Seriously Injured in Pursuit Crash
According to the Haines City Police Department, Officers Jose Ramirez and Gedrick Vargas were conducting a traffic stop Saturday around 5:20 p.m. when 19-year-old Robert Lee Smith III pointed a rifle at the officers and fled the scene in a black Toyota.
Two Haines City, FL, police officers were seriously injured in a vehicle crash Saturday while chasing a teen who pointed a rifle at them while they conducted a traffic stop.
According to the Haines City Police Department, Officers Jose Ramirez and Gedrick Vargas were conducting a traffic stop Saturday around 5:20 p.m. when 19-year-old Robert Lee Smith III pointed a rifle at the officers and fled the scene in a black Toyota.
Officers Ramirez and Vargas tried to stop the fleeing vehicle but their patrol car was struck by another vehicle, Fox 13 reports.
Police say Officer Ramirez is currently in the intensive care unit with a broken arm, facial injuries, and a brain bleed. He underwent surgery Sunday morning and is in critical, but stable condition in the intensive care unit.
Officer Vargas suffered a dislocated shoulder and a broken rib. He was released from the hospital early Sunday morning.
Detectives located Smith at his father’s home in Poinciana and arrested him with help from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office since the residence was outside of Haines City.
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