By Jeff Weiner
Orlando Sentinel
OVIEDO, Fla. — The Orlando police officer who was caught on camera fleeing a traffic stop near Oviedo last month in an agency-issued cruiser has been formally charged by prosecutors in Seminole County, court records show.
The 18th Circuit State Attorney’s Office on Wednesday charged Orlando Police Department Officer Alexander Shaouni with a felony count of fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement and a misdemeanor count of resisting an officer without violence.
Shaouni was stopped by a Seminole County deputy June 9 for driving about 80 mph in a 45 mph zone on Florida Avenue without activating his siren or emergency lights.
Video recorded by the deputy showed he sped after Shaouni, pulling him over on De Leon Street.
The footage showed an irritated Shaouni berating the deputy for pulling him over as he was driving into work.
“What does it look like I am dressed for?” Shaouni said.
When the deputy responded by demanding the officer’s driver’s license, Shaouni said, “No,” before getting back into his cruiser and driving off.
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In an unsigned statement at the time, a spokesperson for the Orlando Police Department said Shaouni had been “relieved of duty” during the criminal case. The agency also said it would conduct an internal investigation.
Shaouni is on pretrial release from custody on an $8,500 bond, records show. He has pleaded not guilty.
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