Sandy MaloneMartin County, FL – Police arrested a Vero Beach woman who tried to run down a Martin County sheriff’s deputy on a motorcycle and caused a rollover crash that sent multiple people to the hospital.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said that 54-year old Dawn LaShawn Laprade was driving at speeds of 80-to-100 mph on May 18 when she tried to run over a sheriff’s deputy on a motorcycle, WPLG reported.
The sheriff’s department said the deputy was able to jump off his motorcycle before it was struck by Laprade’s vehicle.
Then Laprade fled the scene, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Facebook.
Laprade was spotted by two sheriff’s patrol units heading into Indiantown.
The sheriff’s department said the deputies pursued the suspect vehicle and tried to stop it.
But Laprade continued driving and motioned to the deputies that she had a gun, according to the sheriff’s department.
Laprade also drove erratically and attempted to cause the deputies’ pursuing her to crash, WPLG reported.
The reckless driver smashed into one patrol vehicle and then caused a pickup truck with three passengers to crash and roll over, according to the MCSO statement.
Deputies were able to get Laprade’s vehicle stopped at that point and approached it to take her into custody.
The sheriff’s department said that the driver threw a snake at the deputy and caused him to deploy his Taser.
Laprade was arrested at the scene, WPLG reported.
Another deputy found the snake that the driver had thrown and determined that it was rubber.
The three people who were in the flipped truck were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriff’s department.
No deputies were injured during the incident.
Laprade was charged with four counts of aggravated assault on a police officer and fleeing and eluding, according to MCSO.
Prosecutors said that additional charges were likely to be forthcoming.
She was held in custody on a $90,000 bond, WPLG reported.
Holly Matkin
