Sanford Woman Facing Multiple Felony Charges After Intentionally Hitting Florida Highway Patrol Trooper

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A woman from Sanford is now facing several felony charges after allegedly intentionally hitting a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper with her car while trying to escape from a routine traffic stop.

The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon when a silver sedan, driven by 38-year-old Latoya Bedford, was spotted by a trooper exceeding the speed limit on Interstate-4 near State Road 434. The vehicle was clocked at over 100 miles-per-hour in a posted 60 mile-per-hour zone, prompting the trooper to initiate a traffic stop.

Despite the trooper’s attempt to pull Bedford over, she refused to comply and continued to speed away westbound on I-4 before eventually exiting on Maitland Ave.

According to FHP reports, Bedford even tried to make a U-turn at one point during the pursuit. In response, the pursuing deputy performed a “P.I.T.” maneuver in an effort to immobilize Bedford’s car.

With Bedford’s vehicle now facing south and the FHP cruiser facing north, the trooper exited their patrol car and began shouting at Bedford to stop and exit her vehicle. However, instead of complying, Bedford allegedly accelerated towards the trooper at a high rate of speed, directly striking the cruiser’s driver’s side door and pinning the trooper between the door and the vehicle frame.

Despite sustaining injuries, the trooper managed to get back into their cruiser and continued the pursuit. However, Bedford’s attempt to flee came to an end when she lost control of her car and crashed into a nearby business, as captured on dashcam video released by FHP.

Following the crash, Bedford was detained and taken to AdventHealth in Altamonte Springs for a medical evaluation, which cleared her. During a subsequent search of her vehicle, troopers discovered a set of brass knuckles with a spring-assisted knife hidden in the driver’s side door.

Bedford now faces a lengthy list of felony charges, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated fleeing or eluding police with an injury or damage, failure to stop at a crash involving an injury, and possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon.

The injured trooper, whose injuries were described as non-life-threatening in the incident report, drove himself to a local hospital for treatment.

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