SARASOTA -- A police patrol officer is recovering at home, as his fellow cops search for the driver of the car that struck him during a getaway.
The Sarasota Police Department says the case started with a car burglary on Bird Key Monday afternoon (20th). Video tied a white 4-door S-Series Mercedes to the crime. Police say the same car was spotted on Longboat Key later that afternoon during a car burglary.
Police say the Mercedes returned to Bird Key that night and they attempted to block it in at the entrance. An officer anticipated the Mercedes would try to ram a patrol car or go through the fence and was moving toward it.
The officer jumped over the hood, got flipped over and fell to the ground, receiving immediate attention from another officer. Sarasota police chief Rex Troche says that roll probably saved his life. "Had he crouched down... he would have been run over by this Mercedes, weighing over two thousand pounds, and this would be a different conversation." Troche says the officer is recovering from bruises and soreness.
Other patrol cruisers followed the Mercedes to Orange Avenue, where the driver bailed out. No arrests have been made.
See video of a person identified as driving the car that struck the officer below.
Video: Sarasota Police Photo: Canva