Four people have been arrested after a vehicle allegedly fled from deputies in Hillsborough County before crashing into an embankment near Interstate 75 and US Highway 301, authorities said.
The pursuit began shortly after 10pm on October 19, when deputies attempted to stop a car for allegedly failing to maintain its lane on Gibsonton Drive, near I-75.
Instead of pulling over, the driver accelerated away. Undercover deputies tracked the vehicle through several roads while the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office aviation unit followed from above.
Officials said the car eventually left the road, went through a guardrail and entered a nearby construction zone. It then crashed into an embankment close to I-75 and North US 301.
Four arrested after Hillsborough pursuit crash
Deputies detained the driver, Leo Gradley III, 29, and passenger Angel Pribble, 27, a short distance from the crash. Jasmine Likely, 36, and Andrew Hopson, 33, were arrested at the scene.
Investigators said Gradley’s driving licence had been revoked since July 18, 2024, following an earlier charge of fleeing from police in Manatee County. A bag containing crushed diazepam pills was also allegedly found inside the vehicle.
Gradley faces charges including fleeing and attempting to elude an officer, driving with a cancelled, suspended or revoked licence, possession of a controlled substance, leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, resisting an officer without violence and trespassing on a construction site.
Pribble is accused of trespassing, possessing a controlled substance and resisting an officer without violence. Likely faces charges of possessing a controlled substance and trespassing, while Hopson is charged with possession of a controlled substance, trespassing and possession of drug paraphernalia.
All four suspects remain allegations at this stage and the investigation is continuing.
Deputy injured while responding to crash
The pursuit led to a second collision when Hillsborough County corporal Niomi Bruce, 30, was struck from behind while sitting in her marked patrol car on northbound I-75.
Bruce had been responding to the crash scene with her emergency lights activated when another vehicle hit the patrol car. She was taken to Tampa General Hospital and released on October 20.
In an earlier account of the incident, Bruce said the impact threw her from her seat and caused her to strike her laptop, rear-view mirror and windscreen. She suffered a lower-back tear, bruising, whiplash and muscle damage, and temporarily lost feeling in her legs.
The Florida Highway Patrol investigated the collision involving the patrol vehicle. The driver of the other car was cited for careless driving.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said fleeing from law enforcement placed other motorists at risk and urged drivers to slow down and move over when approaching emergency vehicles on the roadside.
