Orlando police have identified the man whose joy ride ended in an Orlando police car wreck. Police say that a man who stole an Orlando police car and sped away is Alexander James Gonzales. He is from Largo, Florida, and had been a patient at Florida hospital. While the story in the Orlando Sentinel didn’t mention the reason for the hospitalization, it said Gonzales was acting “frantic and paranoid.”
Gonzales was in a hospital gown when he got into an idle patrol car, flipped on the sirens and took off. He entered traffic at the corner of Prince Street and Orange Avenue, near the Orlando Science Center. “Mr. Gonzales Jr. was driving at a high rate of speed well in excess of the speed limit while still having the emergency red/blue police lights and sirens activated,” according to Orlando police. He lost control of the speeding car near Elizabeth Avenue. The cruiser hit a utility pole and flipped on its side.
SWAT Team Called in for Police Car Wreck
Police called in a SWAT team and armored vehicles after the crash because the driver barricaded himself in the car. It is unclear whether the suspect was armed. But the standoff lasted for nearly three hours. Police charged the driver “with grand theft of a motor vehicle, resisting an officer without violence, criminal mischief and driving with a suspended license,” according to the Sentinel.
In another startling incident, an Orlando police officer was shot responding to a domestic violence call near the Universal Orlando theme park. The incident turned into a hostage situation when the man barricaded himself in an apartment with four young children. Police say the officer sustained serious injuries.
We would welcome your prayers for our officer, who sustained a very serious injury, and for his loved ones and his OPD family. pic.twitter.com/Mlv5GW50My
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) June 11, 2018
It can be a dangerous world out there. Be safe. Drive carefully. If someone else’s negligence hurts you or a loved one, contact the personal injury attorneys at Martinez Manglardi. We’ve been helping Central Florida recover accident losses for more than 30 years. Call 407-846-2240 for a free consultation. Offices throughout Central Florida.
