FORT PIERCE, Fla. (WFLA) – The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that a reckless driver drove through a parking lot and county road, striking a vehicle and overturning a U-Haul truck.
According to SLCSO, dispatchers received multiple calls about a reckless U-Haul truck pushing a vehicle off a roadway in the Lakewood Park area around 5:15 p.m.
According to SLCSO, officers spotted the U-Haul truck in the Winn-Dixie parking lot after noticing its erratic path, which endangered pedestrians and drivers.
“The driver posed a significant threat to motorists, forced several vehicles off the road, and posed a serious threat to public safety,” SLCSO said.
Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver, Brian Lassonde, said he ignored emergency lights and sirens and fled through traffic.
The U-Haul crashed after colliding with multiple vehicles, hitting a traffic sign, bursting a water main and injuring another driver, according to SLCSO.
Body camera footage showed the U-Haul truck overturning as Lassonde attempted to climb through the rear windshield at the deputy’s direction.
Deputies booked Mr. Lassonde into the St. Lucie County Jail, where he is being held without bail pending his first court appearance, according to SLCSO.
SLCSO announced that Lassonde was arrested on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, fleeing or eluding causing bodily harm, and failure to remain at the scene of an accident with serious bodily injury.
“Detectives are continuing to investigate whether Mr. Lassonde was under the influence of controlled substances at the time of the incident,” SLCSO said in a statement.
