WESTON, Fla. – A hit-and-run driver who struck a Florida Highway Patrol trooper and then ran away was arrested moments after he led authorities on a manhunt, officials said.
It happened around 7 a.m. Tuesday on the northbound lanes of Interstate 75 approaching Indian Trace in Weston.
Photos released by FHP showed the trooper’s vehicle with rear-end damage, and the driver’s black Porsche heavily damaged.
According to authorities, after the Porsche struck the FHP cruiser while speeding, the driver, identified as 49-year-old Ricardo Jimenez, got out of the German sports car and ran.
Law enforcement searched for Jimenez with the help of police helicopters and K-9 units, authorities said.
After a few hours, authorities were able to find Jimenez and take him into custody. He was taken to Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital to be treated for injuries.
Authorities said the trooper suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Hours after being treated at the hospital, he arrived at Broward County’s Main Jail where a Local 10 News crew captured him wincing in pain and giving a smile to the camera before being escorted inside to be booked on criminal charges.
According to jail records, those charges include leaving the scene of a crash with damage to property, failure to stop following a crash, unattended vehicle, without leaving ID and resisting arrest without violence. His total bond was set at $16,150.