Florida Driver Intentionally Hit Pedestrian, Breaking His Leg, Police Searching For Culprit

Authorities in Florida are searching for a man who they believe intentionally drove his SUV into a pedestrian after initially letting him pass by. In a news release Wednesday, the Broward Sheriff’s Office announced a reward for up to $3,000 for information about the driver.

According to local police, the incident took place Feb. 23 in a Publix supermarket parking lot in Oakland Park. A security video shows the SUV stopping to let the pedestrian walk in front of the vehicle.

“As the victim finishes crossing the vehicle, the driver accelerates and turns in the direction of the victim,” according to the news release.

The video then showed the victim on the ground as the vehicle fled the scene, the sheriff’s office said. The encounter left the individual with a broken leg. It remains unclear if charges will be brought against the driver once he is found.

Investigators said the driver is “a heavyset male with a fair complexion” who has short brown hair, a close-cut brown beard and at the time was wearing a red hat and t-shirt, khaki shorts and black sneakers. The description of the suspect was determined due to a security video from inside a nearby grocery store.

The motive behind the attack also remains unclear, police said. Anyone with information should contact detectives at 954-321-4226.

In another recent road-related incident in Florida, a 25-year-old driver without a valid license was accused of striking a teenager. The 13-year-old was riding her bike to school in Polk County when she was hit by the other vehicle. Micaela Coronel, 25, from Argentina was charged with a felony count of operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver's license causing death.

"She does not have a Florida driver's license, and deputies determined through their investigation that she does not have a valid driver's license at all," the Polk County Sheriff's Office wrote in a statement at the time.