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Video: 2 officers dragged in suspect's car after traffic stop, police say
Two Florida police officers are expected to be OK after they were dragged by a suspect's vehicle during a DUI traffic stop, the police department said. Eustis Police tried to pull over Shakoi Donovan, a driver who they say was swerving and speeding, and seemingly trying to evade police officers. When they stopped him, they reached into his car to grab him. He hit the gas, pulling one officer a few feet, and another a few hundred feet.
EUSTIS, Fla. - Two Florida police officers are expected to be okay after they were dragged by a suspect's vehicle during a traffic stop, the police department said.
This comes after the Eustis Police Department said a suspect sped off from a traffic stop with two of the department's officers in his car. The suspect surrendered to law enforcement later that evening.
What we know:
Eustis Police Officers Maznaritz and Murray approached a driver who was speeding around 2:50 a.m., Aug. 1, on S. Bay Street and initiated a stop at the intersection of S. Eustis Street and Quayle Avenue. In marked patrol vehicles, with lights activated, the officers approached the suspect – identified as Shakoi Troy Donovan, 28 – on the driver's and passenger sides of his car.
According to the case report, the officers immediately noticed Donovan was having mechanical issues with his car, which had smoke billowing from underneath the hood. He was told twice to turn off his vehicle, but didn't, the report said. He explained he had an oil leak and a starter issue, so he doesn’t want to kill the engine, FOX 35's Marie Edinger reported.
Officer pinned in suspect's car
After the "obvious resistance," the report said, Officer Coe arrived on the scene to assist. Murray grabbed Donovan's right arm while Coe grabbed his left to get him out of the vehicle, police said.
Donovan shook Murray off, shifted his car into drive, grabbed her by the department-issued body armor vest and accelerated, the report details. He sped down the road with Murray inside the vehicle – pinned between Donovan's body and the steering wheel, police said. The driver's door remained open.
"So for about 330 ft, she was dragged in the car pinned like that," explained Eustis Police Chief Craig Capri. "Got up to about 35 miles per hour with both officers inside the vehicle."
Coe traveled about 10 to 15 feet from the traffic stop before he released his body from the vehicle – sending him tumbling on the asphalt. He sustained superficial injuries, the report said.
Police said Donovan drove off after dragging the officers, and they were unable to find him.
What we know about the suspect
The backstory:
Shakoi Donovan has had run-ins with the law before, mostly over drugs and traffic violations.
He was less than 8 weeks into a 2-year probation for his role in a 2021 incident where he fired a gun into the air.
Driver wanted for attempted murder
After two hours of unsuccessfully searching for Donovan, police issued an active arrest warrant.
Eustis Police sought public help to locate Donovan for the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. By Saturday evening, police reported he was taken into custody after he turned himself in.
List of charges
According to investigators, Donovan is being charged with the following:
- Attempted Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer
- Aggravated Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer
- Fleeing to Elude
- Resisting an Officer with Violence
- Resisting an Officer without Violence
The Source: Information in this story was gathered by FOX 35's Marie Edinger and the Eustis Police Department.