Dashcam video showed a man punching and wrestling with a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, police said Friday.
Alexander Hernandez Delgado allegedly punched and wrestled with the trooper after the trooper found him walking along the I-4 interstate Friday in Tampa, according to WTSP. The trooper approached Hernandez Delgado, who explained that he was an artist and his mom had kicked him out of her house, WTSP reported. The trooper, identified by the outlet as Ruiz, then attempted to run Hernandez Delgado’s name through a database search and put him in the back of his cruiser when the suspect became combative.
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Hernandez Delgado punched Ruiz before he ran toward the center median guardrail. Ruiz attempted to place Hernandez Delgado into custody but the suspect continued to punch him, the outlet said. At one point, Ruiz managed to tackle Hernandez Delgado, who continued to fight back.
Dashcam video captured the altercation between Ruiz and Hernandez Delgado. In addition, the footage showed a truck pulling over to help Ruiz during the incident, also according to WTSP. (RELATED: Dashcam Video Shows Cop Saving A 3-Week-Old Choking Baby)
WFTV reported that the trooper’s full name was Jonathan Ruiz. The outlet also said that Ruiz informed Hernandez Delgado pedestrians were not allowed to walk on the highway and asked to see the suspect’s ID when he became combative. Other drivers on the highway came to the trooper’s aid when they witnessed the altercation, and with their help, Ruiz was able to arrest Hernandez Delgado, the outlet reported.
Randy Sutton, the founder of law enforcement-focused organization The Wounded Blue expressed his gratitude for the drivers who assisted Ruiz. “The cops can’t do it all themselves,” Sutton told WFLA. “Every officer, doesn’t matter what community they serve, is in danger, every single day that they’re out on the streets,” he said.
Hernandez Delgado was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence as a result of the incident, WLFA reported.
Ruiz suffered a bloody nose during the altercation, according to WTSP.