By Jerald Jimenez
04 Feb 2024, 10:24 AM EST
A Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper was tragically killed when he collided with a truck on Interstate 95 while conducting a pursuit in the city of Fort Pierce on Friday afternoon.
According to the FHP in a news release, Zachary Fink, 28, attempted to stop Michael Anthony Addison, 30, who was driving a red Kia, for exceeding the speed limit. The subject ignored the police officer’s signals and continued walking with him.
Fink followed the Kia until the suspect made a U-turn and began driving in the wrong direction. The agent also made a U-turn to continue the chase, but at that moment he was hit by a truck that was traveling in the right lane. Due to the powerful impact of the crash, the truck and the police vehicle caught fire.
Both Fink and the truck driver, whose identity has not been revealed, died at the scene. However, Addison managed to escape the scene of the accident, but shortly after collided with another vehicle and abandoned the Kia. He was located and arrested by authorities in a nearby area.
Addison was taken to the St. Lucie County Jail, where he was denied bond. He is charged with several charges, including vehicular manslaughter, felony murder, aggravated fleeing to elude with serious injury or death, and driving without a license causing death or serious injury.
For his part, the executive director of the FHP, Dave Kerner, expressed his pain and outrage over the tragic event.
“We intend to hold the defendant fully accountable for the lives he has taken and the immeasurable pain he has caused,” he said in the statement. “The Florida Highway Patrol, as well as the loved ones and friends of both Trooper Fink and the truck driver, recognize that this is not the end of the loss suffered.”
With information from Fox News