BOCA RATON, Fla. – A woman jumped out of her boyfriend’s car on Monday in Boca Raton and waved her arms to get a trooper’s attention. But before the trooper could reach her, the man ran her over and drove away.
The woman survived, and with her help, detectives identified the driver as William Pantaleon. The 24-year-old suspect’s family reported he had fled to Tennessee. He was behind bars in Cleveland by Tuesday.
According to Lt. Yanko Reyes, a spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol, the 11:30 a.m. hit-and-run crash was on Congress Avenue near Interstate 95 in Boca Raton.
Trooper Jennifer White reported watching in horror when the driver of a black Honda Civic accelerated toward the woman and struck her. The FHP released her startling dashboard camera video.
The video shows the driver of the Honda Civic had stopped on the left lane when he abruptly turned right. He crossed the center and right lanes -- in front of two cars -- to target the woman.
Pantaleon has a record of erratic behavior. Hollywood police officers arrested him in 2018 for weaving through traffic and running a red light on a moped, before trying to bite a police officer.
Pantaleon was in Cleveland on Tuesday night at the Bradley County Justice Center. He was awaiting extradition to Florida to face a charge of attempted murder in Palm Beach County.