Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Troopers thwarted a driver who intentionally collided with FHP vehicles before entering Hernando County after a pursuit through two other counties.
FHP Spokesman Sgt. Steve Gaskins said that at 1:44 p.m. on Dec. 16, Troopers caught up with a 2003 Toyota Camry on I-75 after its driver Kasey Mitchell, 34 of Apollo Beach intentionally collided with a Deputy’s patrol car while fleeing from the scene of an accident in Apollo Beach.
Troopers tried to stop the sedan after it entered Pasco County, but it continued northbound on I-75.
Just north of SR-52, Mitchell intentionally collided with an FHP-K-9 Trooper twice and successfully avoided two deployments of spike strips and a PIT intervention maneuver. Troopers use a PIT maneuver to stop fleeing drivers by forcing a vehicle to stop or spin out.
At the 295.5 milepost on I-75 just inside Hernando County, a Trooper successfully performed another PIT maneuver and stopped the vehicle.
Mitchell then fled on foot until FHP K-9 Titan stopped him.
He was arrested and charged with Aggravated Fleeing and Eluding and with Aggravated Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer.
Additional charges are pending, Gaskins said.
