ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A stolen truck struck a Florida Highway Patrol trooper along State Road 528 on Thursday, according to the FHP.
In an arrest report, a trooper said he spotted a white lawn truck near mile marker 4 around 6:48 a.m.
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Because the truck was driving without tail lights, the trooper tried to pull it over, though the vehicle “aggressively switched lanes” and began swerving, the report says.
Troopers said that while swerving, the truck “slightly” struck the trooper’s patrol car.
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A chase ensued, with the truck striking several other cars along the roadway and fleeing each time, the FHP explained.
The report says that the driver — later identified as Kais Kaheel, 28, of New Port Richey — eventually drove through the chain link fence of an abandoned property near Interstate 4.
Kaheel then drove through the parking lot and crashed into a brick wall, though he fled on foot afterward, troopers said.
He was soon caught by law enforcement officers, and they discovered he had a suspended driver’s license and a set of burglary tools in the truck, the report states.
In addition, troopers said they found the truck’s license plate inside of the vehicle, which showed that the truck had been stolen on Tuesday.
“Mr. Kaheel admitted to being under the influence of fentanyl and advised he was dizzy,” the report says. He was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Later, Kaheel was arrested and faces charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle, fleeing and eluding an officer with disregard for the safety of others, fleeing and eluding an officer after a crash involving property damage or injury, operating a vehicle with a revoked driver’s license, and leaving the scene of a crash.
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