A 20-year-old Florida man, Raul Medina, is back in custody following a reckless driving incident on Wednesday night that involved a police pursuit, a multi-vehicle crash, and a resulting injury. This latest arrest comes just five months after Medina was charged with street racing.
“If you endanger our residents, we will take you to jail,” said Collier County Sheriff Rambosk in a statement. “Reckless driving has no place in Collier County.”
The incident began around 8 p.m. Wednesday when Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputies observed Medina traveling at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour heading east on Immokalee Road near Wilson Boulevard.
When deputies attempted to follow, Medina turned off his vehicle’s lights and fled. To ensure public safety, deputies initially backed off from a dangerous pursuit.
However, CCSO located Medina again minutes later near Collier Boulevard and Golden Gate Boulevard, still driving erratically. When deputies initiated a traffic stop, Medina attempted to flee once more. He quickly lost control of his vehicle and crashed near Golden Gate Parkway and Tropicana Boulevard.
The initial collision involved one vehicle, and the victim was transported to the hospital for injuries. Deputies later determined that Medina also struck and damaged three additional vehicles during the course of the pursuit.
Medina has a history of dangerous driving offenses, including an arrest for street racing in May and eight separate traffic citations since 2022.
For the Wednesday night incident, Medina faces several charges, including fleeing law enforcement while causing injury, reckless driving causing damage, operating a vehicle over 100 mph, and three counts of leaving the scene of a crash.
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