ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A St. Petersburg Police Department officer is expected to be OK after a driver hit his patrol car early Saturday morning, the agency said. The driver now faces multiple charges.
According to police, the hit-and-run crash happened around 1 a.m. on Interstate 375 west of the 5th Avenue North entrance ramp. Police say the officer was conducting a traffic stop in the area and had his emergency lights activated on his patrol car.
As he was getting out of his car, a white Kia sedan hit the patrol car. The collision caused "minor injury" to the officer, police said. He was taken to Bayfront Health and "will be okay," the department said.
In a later release, police said the officer sustained injuries to his hand and said, "Luckily, this officer was not severely injured."
The driver of the Kia didn't stop after crashing into the patrol car and kept going westbound on I-375. Police said the Kia was damaged on the right side of the car.
Police later said officers found both the Kia and the accused driver, 24-year-old Mackenzie Deaton. Deaton was taken into custody and charged with serious bodily injury hit and run, tampering with evidence and citations including failure to follow Move Over Law.
For a short time early Saturday, the 5th Avenue ramp was closed but has since reopened. Anyone who might have had information about the driver of the white Kia was asked to contact the police department at 727-893-7780.