TAMPA, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) arrested a man for allegedly stealing diesel and then crashing into a deputy's car before driving off.
According to HCSO, Kiusler Perez Ortiz, 24, was seen at a Mobil gas station on Hillsborough Ave with his vehicle parked over an underground diesel fuel tank's fill port.
Deputies arrived and tried talking to Ortiz, but he refused to cooperate, HCSO said.
That's when Ortiz put his vehicle into reverse and then accelerated into the rear end of an unmarked HCSO vehicle. HCSO said he nearly hit a deputy as he sped off.
Deputies pursued Ortiz and eventually arrested him in a wooded area off of Sunray Drive.
He was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon, fleeing to elude high-speed, reckless driving, criminal mischief of $1,000 or more, attaching a tag not assigned, and resisting without violence.
The investigation is still active and HCSO said there may be additional charges later on.
A Hardee County grandmother is on trial this week for leaving her 7-month-old granddaughter in a hot car where the baby died —the second grandchild to die under Tracey Nix's care. ABC Action News I-Team Reporter Kylie McGivern sat down with Kaila Nix just days ahead of her mother's trial for aggravated manslaughter.
