PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — A Florida Highway Patrol trooper pursuing a fleeing driver got an unexpected assist when a passing pickup driver stopped and offered him a ride.
The pursuit began Oct. 20 when a trooper in an unmarked patrol vehicle spotted a black vehicle traveling south on U.S. 19, according to an FHP arrest affidavit cited by WFLA.
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The trooper clocked the vehicle at 92 mph and attempted to catch up, but the driver continued speeding and changing lanes through traffic, according to the affidavit.
While attempting to exit onto State Road 690, the driver struck a concrete barrier and then a guardrail.
Dashcam video shows the trooper leaving his patrol vehicle and pointing his handgun at the driver, who drove away in the damaged car, WFLA reported.
The driver stopped a short distance away, got out, jumped a guardrail and ran down an embankment. The trooper followed on foot.
A pickup driver pulled alongside the trooper and offered him a ride, body camera video shows.
“Hop on, hop on,” the driver can be heard saying in body camera video.
“Go, go, go,” the trooper responded as he accepted the lift.
As the truck approached the suspect, the trooper directed the pickup driver to stop, then got out and detained the fleeing man.
The Florida Highway Patrol identified the suspect as Dalawn Damon Washington, 23, of St. Petersburg.
Troopers said Washington did not have a valid Florida driver’s license and had an active Pinellas County warrant for failure to appear in court.
According to arrest documents, Washington struck his head against a patrol car’s plastic partition after being placed in the back seat, cutting his forehead. EMS personnel assessed him at the scene.
He was taken to Northside Hospital for a medical evaluation before being booked into the Pinellas County Jail.
Washington faces charges of fleeing to elude police, operating a motor vehicle without a valid license, reckless driving and leaving the scene of a crash involving damage.
