MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — A man was arrested Thursday after he was accused of punching a rideshare driver and stealing his vehicle.
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office said Leo Paul Bradley, 26, attacked the rideshare driver around 12:18 a.m. in the 3500 block of 1st Street West when he refused to pay in advance for a ride from Bradenton to Tampa.
Bradley allegedly punched the victim before knocking him to the ground and stealing his SUV shortly after.
Deputies said they began to pursue Bradley after spotting him driving within minutes of the report fleeing east on Manatee Avenue West.
According to deputies, Bradley switched directions and began heading west toward Anna Maria Island, hitting a patrol vehicle in the process. He then left the island, almost colliding with oncoming traffic while driving erratically to the 6700 block of Manatee Avenue West.
Deputies claimed Bradley drove the stolen SUV into a light pole and knocked it into the road, continuing east before he hit another light pole and came to a stop in a ditch.
Multiple patrol cars surrounded the vehicle, and Bradley was taken to Blake Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He was arrested for battery, motor vehicle theft, accident involving a vehicle, and aggravated fleeing with damage.
