Driver Accused Of Injuring FHP Trooper In Hit & Run, Arrested In New York

TALLAHASSEE(CBSMiami)- The driver who is accused of striking a Florida Highway Patrol trooper and leaving him injured on the Florida Turnpike has been arrested.

FHP said on May 25, Donnell Reddy was behind the wheel of a white BMW when an FHP trooper stopped him for a seatbelt violation. The vehicle was stopped near the southbound exit ramp of the Florida Turnpike to westbound Hollywood Boulevard.

Surveillance video from a highway camera captured trooper Arsenio Caballero, who appeared to be assisting with another traffic stop, walking across the exit ramp to the shoulder of the highway, when the suspect drove off and struck him.

The impact sent Caballero over the hood of the car and left him with a broken arm and lacerations to his head, according to FHP.

The driver didn't stop after hitting Caballero and fled from authorities.

An investigation conducted by the FHP, Florida's Turnpike Authority, the New York Police Department and several others helped identify Reddy as the driver of the vehicle.

Authorities said they tracked down Reddy and arrested him last Friday in Queens, NY.

Reddy has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated fleeing and eluding and leaving the scene of a crash. All three charges are felonies.

Reddy remains jailed in New York and FHP is waiting for him to be extradited to Broward County.

Trooper Caballero was hospitalized following the crash and continues to recover from his injuries.

"The safety of every member of the Florida Highway Patrol is and will always be my number one priority," said Colonel Gene S. Spaulding, Director of the Florida Highway Patrol. "I commend our troopers for the hard work and dedication they provide the residents and visitors to the state of Florida each day."