Both officers suffer moderate but non-life-threatening injuries
TITUSVILLE, Fla. – Two Titusville police officers were injured after their patrol vehicles collided while responding to a “disturbance call” on Monday morning, according to a news release.
The Titusville Police Department said the officers were responding to the call in the area of Hopkins near Acorn Avenue around 8:55 a.m. when the crash happened.
According to the release, the two officers – who were in separate marked patrol cars –were responding to 911 calls about a “woman brandishing a handgun at another person” at Award Trophy located at 4424 South Hopkins Ave.
Police said that as they neared the location, they received information that one of the suspects left the scene.
“The preliminary investigation reveals that the closest officer to the call made a sudden U-turn to pursue the suspect vehicle, when the patrol car behind her struck the side of her car and then struck some trees along the roadway,” police said in the release.
One officer was transported to a trauma center by helicopter as a precaution and the other officer was taken to the hospital by ambulance for observation.
According to the release, officers located a victim who said they were pistol whipped in the parking lot.
Police said that 40-year-old Laquita Shoumae Jordan of Titusville was arrested and faces charges of aggravated battery with deadly weapon and aggravated assault with the intent to commit a felony.
An employee at the store, Summer Jones, said she called 911 when she saw two women fighting.
“It all started with two ladies fighting over a man in my parking lot,” she said. “It escalated to a gun being pulled.”
Another person who saw the fight recorded video in the parking lot.
A gun could be seen in the suspect’s hand before the women then drove away.
About five minutes later, Jones and store owner Kevin Dargie said the officers who drove here hit each other.
One of the officers needed rescued by the jaws of life.
“Looked like the first officer on scene missed our turn in, so she was going to make a U-turn to turn around and come back into our parking lot,” Jone said. “And the second police officer was flying because they were coming down here to help us cause there was a firearm.”
“It was the hardest hit I’ve ever seen,” Dargie said. “The noise was just deafening.”
The officers suffered moderate but non-life-threatening injuries in the collision, according to the release.
The Florida Highway Patrol is handling the crash investigation.
