BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A Cocoa police traffic officer riding a motorcycle collided Sunday with another vehicle during an annual procession escorting the Traveling Vietnam War Memorial Wall to Melbourne, officials said.
A countywide alert was issued for the driver of a blue Jeep Grand Cherokee, who was not part of the escort but fled the scene moments after the collision left the officer briefly unconscious, officials said. The Jeep was later recovered.
Police said Cocoa police Officer Rickford Leitch was assisting with the escort with several other police agencies when he crashed.
The driver initially stopped, but as officers were attending to Leitch, he took off, officials said.
"I never saw him get out of the car," Cocoa police Officer Ben Landis said.
Landis was also escorting the traveling memorial on his motorcycle.
"He had no remorse, no care or concern about Officer Leitch, at all,” Landis said. “I couldn't tell you how long he stayed but by the time I stopped him to the time somebody had told me that he had left, it was maybe 30 seconds."
Surveillance video obtained by News 6 Monday shows the Jeep turning onto U.S. 1 into the path of Leitch.
"It was a little disturbing," said James Gadient, owner of JAG Window Tinting on U.S.1 in Cocoa.
Gadient's surveillance cameras captured the crash.
"People don't check for motorcycles as often as they should and they shouldn't cut across three lanes of traffic," Gadiant said.
"It was physically impossible to stop the bike in time," Landis told News 6.
More than 1,000 motorcycles and other vehicles had just cleared State Road 520 when Leitch was headed toward the next intersection at Rosa Jones Boulevard.
The officer was traveling at full speed when the Jeep suddenly pulled in front of him, police said.
Leitch flipped over the handlebars of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
“He hit the driver’s side of the Jeep and flipped several times before landing on the pavement. He was briefly knocked out,” Cocoa Police spokeswoman Yvonne Martinez said.
The driver of the Jeep was described as a man in his late 20s or early 30s with short hair and a possible goatee and mustache, Martinez said.
Cocoa Police said Leitch suffered a concussion and injuries to his hand. He was airlifted to Holmes Regional Hospital in Melbourne, where he continues to recover.
The Rockledge Police Department is leading the investigation into the crash.
Stay with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for updates on this story.