BRADFORD COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over the investigation into the death of a man accused of crashing into a deputy's vehicle while they were trying to serve an arrest warrant Saturday afternoon, according to the Bradford County Sheriff's Office.
The incident happened around 4:10 p.m. when deputies responded to Riverbend Estates, in southwest Bradford County, to serve an out-of-county arrest warrant on 43-year-old Justin Hogg.
Deputies said while driving into the private community, they noticed Hogg driving a blue Tahoe toward them. The deputies attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle, but Hogg sped around the deputy's vehicle and crashed into a second deputy's vehicle, according to the sheriff's office.
Hogg's vehicle veered into a ditch and he fled on foot into a nearby pond, deputies said. Both deputies swam into the pond after Hogg and brought him back to shore.
"While continuing to investigate the incident and awaiting the arrival of a medical unit for a precautionary evaluation, the subject (Hogg) fell to the ground," the sheriff's office said on Facebook.
Medics arrived and began life-saving measures on Hogg before he was taken to Starke Emergency Room where he was pronounced dead.
The sheriff's office said it requested FDLE to assist with an independent review of the incident and take the lead in Hogg's death investigation.
A medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine Hogg's cause of death.
