A traffic stop in Tampa escalated when a driver in a stolen Kia Forte accelerated with a Hillsborough County deputy partly inside the car, WFLA reported. The driver struck a school bus before deputies could begin a pursuit and now faces more than a dozen charges.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, deputies first pulled the driver over on Hillsborough Avenue West, just west of Dale Mabry Highway North, at 4:36 p.m., as reported by Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. She fled eastbound with a deputy still partly inside the car, according to the sheriff's office.
School Bus Carrying 41 Students Struck Before Pursuit
The sheriff's office said the bus was carrying 41 Pierce Middle School students and was struck before deputies could initiate a pursuit.
Deputies took the driver into custody at the Howard Avenue and Armenia Avenue ramp leading to southbound Interstate 275, as noted by WFLA. The Kia Forte she was driving had been reported stolen out of Kentucky back in 2022, investigators determined.
Sheriff Criticizes Driver's Actions
Sheriff Chad Chronister said the suspect showed complete disregard for the safety of a deputy, other motorists and community children.
The driver also had an active Kentucky failure-to-appear warrant tied to methamphetamine possession and identity theft, FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported.
Charges Include Aggravated Battery on a Deputy
The driver is now facing more than a dozen charges, including aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon, armed possession of methamphetamine, felon in possession of ammunition, felon in possession of an electric device, and leaving the scene of a crash involving a school bus, per a report from Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Florida School Bus Crash Context
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there were 3,000 school bus crashes in Florida in 2022.
