A Volusia County Sheriff’s deputy got dragged Sunday afternoon by a car trying to leave a traffic stop Sunday.
The incident started at around 3:18 p.m. on North Center Street in the vicinity of 1st Avenue in Pierson.
That’s where a deputy pulled over Larodney Bennett, 27, driving a 2012 Dodge Charger for speeding. After running the driver’s name, the deputy discovered he had two open warrants and ordered him to exit the vehicle.
The driver refused, so the deputy reached into the vehicle in an attempt to open the car door and remove the driver. That sparked a struggle over the gear shift, with the driver eventually able to shift it into drive and take off.
Partially inside the vehicle, the deputy was dragged for about 10 feet before he was able to release his grip and roll away from the car. The vehicle continued on its way and headed down some dirt roads, eventually hitting a tree at the dead-end of South Frederick Street.
The driver then got out and ran into a nearby fernery. A Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit and helicopter aided in the search, which resulted in the capture of the suspect at about 4:53 p.m. by a K-9 that found Bennett at the bottom of a deep ravine hiding under some shrubbery.
The deputy was treated at the scene for a deep abrasion on his right elbow and minor lacerations and abrasions to his left forearm and forehead.
Bennett however, was bitten by a Sheriff’s K-9 and taken to Florida Hospital DeLand for treatment of the dog bite and then booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach on the three felony offense and two warrants.
He was charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence. The previous warrants were for failure to appear in court in reference to a prior domestic battery charge and violation of pre-trial release conditions on the same charge.
He was initially being held on $17,000 bond.
