A 36-year-old Plant City man ran from a crash scene on foot, climbed into a car his own wife had just driven up to the scene, and then wrecked that vehicle too before deputies chased him down in a nearby yard. Brayan Mayen now faces multiple charges stemming from the chaotic chain of events that unfolded just before 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at Gallagher Road and West Knights Griffin Road.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Mayen ran a stop sign at the intersection and slammed into another vehicle, also tearing down multiple TECO utility poles in the process. Deputies and fire rescue personnel were still working the scene when Mayen took off running on foot, according to the sheriff's office. As detailed by FOX 13 Tampa Bay, investigators say he failed to yield at the stop sign before striking the other car and the utility poles.
Instead of getting away clean, Mayen's wife had brought another car to the scene, and he got in and sped off, per the sheriff's office. The station reports he continued fleeing northbound on Gallagher Road before losing control and crashing into a ditch near Franklin Road, roughly half a mile from where the first crash happened.
A Second Foot Chase Ends in a Nearby Yard
Mayen wasn't done trying to get away. He tried to flee on foot again after the second crash, running through a nearby yard before deputies caught up with him after a brief foot pursuit, the station's report notes. Deputies ultimately took Mayen into custody at that point, ending the chaotic sequence that began less than a mile away just minutes earlier.
Mayen faces a lengthy list of charges tied to the incident, including fleeing, resisting without violence, and two counts of driving with a suspended or revoked license, along with a second DUI conviction and a second refusal to submit to testing. According to the sheriff's office, Mayen had eight prior convictions for driving with a suspended or revoked license before Tuesday's arrests.
What Florida Law Says About Repeat Offenses
Under Florida law, knowingly driving with a suspended, revoked, or canceled license is a first-degree misdemeanor on a second or subsequent conviction, according to Florida Statute 322.34. The same statute provides for a minimum of 10 days in jail for a third or subsequent conviction, subject to exceptions spelled out in the law. Neither provision determines the outcome of Mayen's case specifically.
Separately, Florida law classifies a second or subsequent refusal to submit to a lawful breath, blood, or urine test as a first-degree misdemeanor, per Florida Statute 316.1939. That same statute notes that the outcome of a criminal case under that section does not affect any separate administrative proceeding over a person's driving privilege.
Mayen has since been released on bond, FOX 13 reports. The extent of damage from either crash, along with whether anyone else was hurt, has not been detailed by authorities.
