BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A new dashcam video is showing the moments a Florida Highway Patrol trooper was punched in the face after pulling over a van on Interstate 95 near the Indian River County line, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
It happened around 5:45 a.m. on May 11, when the trooper spotted a white 2007 Ford Transit van weaving in traffic and nearly clipping a semi-truck before pulling it over.
When the trooper stopped the van, all seven occupants bailed out of the passenger side and ran west into nearby woods. The trooper made contact with one man — identified as Luis Angel Gomez Lopez, 18, of Orlando — who also tried to run. After Gomez Lopez ignored repeated commands to stop, the trooper deployed his Taser twice. During the struggle, both men tumbled down an embankment, FHP said.
While the trooper attempted to handcuff Gomez Lopez, Gomez Lopez struck him with a closed fist on the right side of his face, according to the FHP report. The trooper eventually gained control and placed Gomez Lopez in handcuffs.
Multiple agencies responded to search for the six men who fled, including the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission K-9 unit, the BCSO Aviation Unit “STAR,” and the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office drone unit.
None of the six were found.
Gomez Lopez was evaluated on scene and taken to a hospital before being booked into Brevard County Jail. He faces a felony charge of battery on a law enforcement officer and a misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer without violence.
News 6 has reached out to FHP to confirm whether the search for the remaining suspects is ongoing.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Florida Highway Patrol.