A St. Cloud man faces multiple charges after police say he fled from the scene of a crash that left a pedestrian injured and later attempted to steal a bicycle. The incident began yesterday morning when a vehicle, described by witnesses as a Jeep, struck a pedestrian at the intersection of 13th Street and Orange Avenue, according to WESH.
Police discovered an unoccupied Jeep near the scene, abandoned after the hit-and-run. Eric Pursell, the suspect in question, was later apprehended when officers were alerted to a call about a stolen bicycle—detained by a group of men having chased down the alleged thief to reclaim their stolen property. "Aggressively asserted ownership" of the bicycle, as FOX 35 Orlando reported, the suspect was the same individual connected to the earlier vehicular incident.
The police, having connected the dots between the stolen bike and the earlier traffic incident, placed Pursell under arrest. During the violent altercation, the victim of the hit-and-run was transported to a trauma center for treatment.
The suspect faces numerous charges as he exchanges his stolen bicycle for a stay behind the bar.
