SARASOTA, Fla. — Police have arrested the man accused of hitting a Sarasota police officer head-on with a car and driving off, the department said in a news release Wednesday.
Mark Thomas, 22, was arrested at a probation office in Broward County Wednesday afternoon.
Thomas faces multiple charges including aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and flee to elude with disregard for safety in connection to the hit-and-run crash that hurt a Sarasota police officer, a news release said.
Thomas has a list of prior convictions, which include carrying a concealed firearm, grand theft auto and burglary of an occupied dwelling, that date back to 2019. He was recently released from prison on Feb. 2, 2023.
Dramatic video showed an officer flipped into the air after being hit by a car Monday evening. The officer was investigating a call about a theft at the time, police said.
"It was horrific. It was terrible. We all gasped as we saw the officer jump about 4-6 inches off the ground and really save his own life," Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche about the department's reaction to the video.
The officer was treated at Sarasota Memorial Hospital and is now home, where he is expected to fully recover. Troche said the officer was "in good spirits" when he spoke to him on Monday night.
The chief said the officer is recovering from a leg contusion and some soreness, but doctors don't believe there are any fractures at this time.