SEBRING, Fla. — A Highlands County Sheriff's deputy is recovering after being hit head-on in their patrol SUV Tuesday morning by a driver fleeing from authorities, the agency said.
According to the sheriff's office, the chase started around 9 a.m. after deputies spotted a 2021 Dodge Charger that was linked to a Monday afternoon shooting in Sebring. The chase began in the area of Sparta Road and State Road 66 in Sebring.
Deputies say the driver, 27-year-old Jaqwan Hall of Avon Park, drove west on SR-66 and entered Hardee County.
When the driver reached the area of SR-66 and Skipper Road, he reportedly spun out and then turned around to head back to where he came. It was then that he hit the deputy's patrol SUV "head-on," authorities said.
The deputy reportedly suffered minor injuries and was taken to a Highlands County hospital for treatment.
The chase didn't end there, however. Hall reportedly kept eluding authorities for a while, going back east toward Highlands County before again turning around and going west, "weaving in and out of traffic."
Because the driver was reportedly "reckless" and speeding down the road, the sheriff's office said deputies decided to use a PIT maneuver to force Hall off the road.
Following the PIT maneuver, the Charger went off the road and rolled over, coming to rest upright about a mile west of Skipper Road. Hall and two other people inside the car were taken into custody.
Hall and one passenger in the car were taken to a Hardee County hospital for treatment of their injuries. Hall faces multiple charges related to the chase.