SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A Sanford woman was arrested earlier this week after a trooper was struck along Interstate 4, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
FHP said a trooper spotted a car traveling 100 mph in a 60 mph zone.
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The trooper tried to pull the driver over, but they “began to make evasive maneuvers” and sped off, records show.
According to troopers, the driver — later identified as Latoya Bedford, 38 — then exited onto State Road 414, continuing to speed away while putting others at risk.
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Bedford traveled onto US 17-92 before making a U-turn, veering onto the on-ramp back to State Road 414 and throwing a can with some kind of liquid out of her window, investigators said.
After Bedford turned onto Maitland Avenue, the trooper rammed the woman’s car and forced her vehicle to stop, the arrest report states.
Investigators said the trooper then got out of their patrol car, but Bedford drove toward the trooper, striking the patrol car and pinning the trooper between the driver-side door and the door frame.
She then sped away again, leaving the trooper injured, according to the FHP.
However, the trooper gave chase, and Bedford ultimately crashed her vehicle into a nearby business, the arrest report shows.
Bedford was taken into custody, and troopers said they discovered that her driver’s license had been suspended in October 2023.
In addition, brass knuckles and a spring-assisted knife were found in Bedford’s vehicle following her arrest, investigators said.
Bedford faces charges of aggravated battery, reckless driving, aggravated fleeing, weapon possession by a felon, driving with a suspended license, and failing to stop for a hit-and-run crash.
According to court records, Bedford is also facing charges of disorderly conduct and battery stemming from an incident last year at the county clerk’s office.
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