A chaotic scene unfolded on Alligator Alley early Sunday morning when a Florida Highway Patrol trooper was seriously injured while helping a disabled motorist.
The crash, which occurred around 3:18 AM on northbound Interstate 75 at mile marker 64, has left a local law enforcement officer hospitalized and a Sarasota man behind bars.
According to FHP investigators, the trooper had parked his Dodge Charger partially on the outside travel lane and paved shoulder with his emergency blue lights fully activated. While the trooper was standing on the shoulder to assist a driver in need, a Toyota sedan traveling north plowed into the front of the patrol car.
The collision was violent enough to rip the bumper and the left front tire off the FHP cruiser. The impact sent a spray of heavy debris across the pavement, striking the trooper who was standing nearby.
Emergency responders rushed the injured officer to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. Fortunately, the cruiser itself was unoccupied at the moment of the strike.
READ: Seffner Teen Killed, Mulberry Man Injured In 3-Car Crash As Hit-And-Run Driver Flees On Foot
The driver of the Toyota, identified as 32-year-old Jonathan Ronald Munas of Sarasota, was not injured in the crash.
However, troopers quickly determined that Munas was allegedly operating his vehicle under the influence. Breath tests later revealed a blood alcohol content of .159—nearly double the legal limit in Florida.
Munas was taken into custody on the spot and transported to the Collier County Jail. He currently faces charges related to DUI. The name of the injured trooper has not yet been released.
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