LAKE CITY, Fla. – An officer injured when a suspect sped away from a traffic stop in Lake City last week had jumped into the bed of the suspect's truck and was thrown out into a ditch during the police chase, the Lake City Police Department said Monday.
Investigators initially believed Officer Stuart Robinson had been dragged about a mile by the truck, which was driven by Breon Pope, 30. But police said dash camera footage of the Thursday incident shows Pope swerving from side to side and Robinson being thrown into a ditch about a mile from the initial stop.
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Robinson suffered a head injury and was flown to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville in critical condition but was upgraded to “good condition” by Friday and was released Saturday.
According to Lake City police, Officer Arielle Peterson pulled over a green Ford Ranger truck at the intersection of U.S. 90 and Southwest Sisters Welcome Road in Lake City.
Shortly after, Robinson arrived to assist Peterson with a suspected DUI investigation, police said.
During the course of the stop, the officers also learned Pope had a suspended license and an active arrest warrant for violation of probation and possession of a controlled substance.
Peterson initially contacted the driver from the passenger side. Robinson approached the driver's side after he arrived, police said.
As Peterson learned about the warrant, she moved to the driver's side with Robinson. She told Pope to turn off the truck several times, and to get out of the truck, but he refused, police said.
When Peterson tried to open the driver’s door, Pope hit the gas and sped away with Robinson jumping into the bed of the truck as it peeled away, police said.
Peterson ran after the truck on foot, shouting for Pope to stop and then ran back to her patrol vehicle and gave chase, joined by other officers who were already responding to the initial traffic stop to assist, police said.
LCPD said dash cam footage from Peterson’s vehicle shows Pope driving erratically, swerving from side to side. About a mile from the traffic stop, Robinson was thrown from the bed of the pickup and into a ditch on the west side of the road.
One of the patrol vehicles stopped to look for Robinson and spotted him crawling out of the ditch. The officers stopped to help him as the others continued to chase Pope, police said.
As the pursuit continued, officers attempted to block Pope's movement.
According to police, Pope initially turned west at County Road 242, then made an immediate U-turn and returned to drive south on SW Dyal Rd (SW Sisters Welcome Rd becomes SW Dyal Rd at CR 242).
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office joined the pursuit as Pope drove recklessly on both sides of the road and through ditches to avoid police vehicles, and at one point slammed on his brakes, police said.
Immediately after turning on SW Dyal Rd, a deputy from CCSO engaged a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) maneuver, which involves using the front bumper of a patrol vehicle to redirect a suspect vehicle off the road.
The first attempt resulted in Pope being pushed into a ditch on the east side of the road, but he was able to recover and continue driving, police said. A second attempt put him into a ditch on the west side of the road, and he was immediately surrounded by law enforcement vehicles.
Pope was removed from his vehicle and arrested without further resistance at the scene, police said.
At his request, Pope was taken to Shands Lake Shore Hospital, where he was medically cleared before being taken to the Columbia County Jail, where he is being held on charges of fleeing or eluding police, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, probation violation and driving on a suspended license.
“It will take some time for Officer Robinson to recover,” said Lake City Police Chief Argatha Gilmore. “We are keeping him and his family in our thoughts and prayers during this time.”
Video footage from several sources has been reviewed as part of the investigation, police said.
Gilmore said her department is still reviewing the incident internally and working to piece together a clear picture of exactly what happened.
“We don’t know what Officer Robinson heard or saw prior to getting into the bed of the truck. We cannot conclude this investigation until we are able to interview him,” Gilmore said.
Dash cam footage from several vehicles is being processed for release to the media.
“While we cannot discuss Officer Robinson’s medical condition, his injuries could have been much worse,” Gilmore said. “We are glad he is in good spirits during his recovery, and we are thankful for the law enforcement family who came together after this incident. I am grateful the CCSO Deputy was able to apply a PIT Maneuver and terminate this pursuit without any further injuries.”