Video out of Bradenton, Florida, shows how a police officer was dragged by a driver who tried to flee a traffic stop, according to authorities.
It happened around 11:35 p.m. on Tuesday, when Officer Shane Sharp attempted to stop a vehicle in the 1200 block of Martin Luther King Avenue East, NBC affiliate WFLA reported, citing the Bradenton Police Department.
Watch NBC6 free wherever you are
WATCH HEREThe driver, 19-year-old Lenny Macias-Rangel, was followed by the officer for several blocks for having a broken headlight until he stopped, police said.
"He approached the car, smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from it, asked the driver to shut the car off. In fact, he asked the driver 12 times to shut the car off," Chief Melanie Bevan told WFLA.
Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP
Macias-Rangel did not, bodycam video shows, and he told the officer that he kept going because he had a green light.
"Sir, I'm scared, my mom is waiting for me at home," he said. "You got a gun."
Local
The officer raises his hands and tells Macias-Rangel, "Listen, my hands are here and you're not listening. Turn the car off. That's all you have to do... I don't know if you're going to take off. It took you a while to stop."
Macias-Rangel shakes his head and puts his head in his hands.
Police said Sharp then opened the driver’s side door to reach in and shift the car into park, but Macias-Rangel accelerated rapidly, pinning the officer's body against the dashboard.
But it's Macias-Rangel who screams: "Stop, you're killing me!"
Bodycam from another officer shows how the vehicle traveled about 150 feet, with Sharp's feet dangling from the driver's side, before crashing into a pole.
Authorities said Macias-Rangel struck several officers and resisted arrest before being apprehended and taken to the Manatee County Jail.
Sharp suffered a concussion, arm injuries that included a dislocated shoulder, and minor leg injuries, WFLA reported. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and has since been released.
In a search of the vehicle, Crime Reduction Team detectives found more than kilogram of marijuana and 62 THC vape cartridges.
Macias-Rangel was charged with aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, driving while license is revoked, and possession with intent to sell.
