A Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy was struck and killed by a front-end loader late Thursday in a hit-and-run crash along I-275 in St. Petersburg, officials said.
that Deputy Michael Hartwick, who was wearing a safety vest, was working an overnight security shift at a construction site when he was struck by the loader just after 11 p.m. next to the interstate near the Howard Frankland Bridge, according to sheriff’s officials.Deputies said Victor Vazquez-Real, 35, the construction worker who was driving the loader, ran away after the crash. The sheriff’s office said he was taken into custody around 8:40 a.m.
Another worker who hid Vasquez’s uniform will be charged with being an accessory after the fact, according to Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri., Gualtieri said Vasquez-Real drove to a parking area after hitting Hartwick, parked the front-end loader and then took off his helmet and vest, handing the gear to another worker and saying he had “killed a deputy” before leaving the scene on foot.
It is with extraordinary sadness that we announce that Deputy Michael Hartwick was killed in the line of duty late Thursday evening as a result of a hit and run crash on I-275 in St. Petersburg. The suspect is still at large.
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