A Tuesday afternoon traffic incident involving a Tampa police cruiser and an SUV has lead to a temporary road closure and a considerable emergency response, according to local officials. The incident occurred just before 2:30 p.m. near the intersection of North Tampa Street and Woodlawn Avenue, as reported by WTSP. A Tampa Police officer was in the process of responding to an emergency when their vehicle collided with the SUV, subsequently causing the civilian-driven vehicle to overturn. Both the police officer and the driver of the SUV were transported to a local hospital to quickly address and evaluate minor injuries.
According to WFLA, the collision happened while the officer was attending to an emergency call, with their cruiser’s lights and sirens activated. The officer had been responding to a different incident involving a man identified as Kamal Johnson, 31, who allegedly was armed with a stick and threatening individuals off Highland Avenue.
Johnson resisted arrest but was eventually taken into custody, facing multiple charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest without violence, as per WTSP’s information. Notably, no one was injured in the incident involving Johnson.
The crash prompted, at least, 20 police cruisers and additional first responder vehicles to converge on the scene, leading to noticeable traffic disruptions in the area. The Tampa Free Press stated that pictures from the scene depicted the police cruiser with significant damage to its front driver’s side. The intersection was slated to reopen for traffic within the hour following the clearing of the accident and preliminary investigation efforts.
The Tampa Police Department is currently investigating the exact cause of the crash, as the standard protocol dictates. Following the accident, relevant authorities have emphasized the importance of road safety, especially when driving in proximity to emergency responders who might quickly have to navigate through traffic during their line of duty. Both the officer and the civilian driver’s condition appear to not be cause for major concern, with the hospital evaluation primarily being a precaution. The area, which had its traffic flow disrupted due to the response, was expected to become fully operational once again, according to the timeline provided by authorities.
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