Shortly after, the driver was involved in a crash that seriously injured another driver, St. Petersburg police said.

ST. PETERSBURG – A Nokomis man has been accused of trying to run down a police officer who was directing traffic, the St. Petersburg Police Department said.

John Paul Jaquith, 26, of Nokomis, was charged with one count each of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon on a Law Enforcement Officer and Reckless Driving. Charges against Jaquith are pending in connection with a traffic crash that happened shortly after the incident with the police officer, the department said.

An officer, in uniform and a traffic vest, was directing traffic about 11:06 a.m. Monday (March 26) in the  intersection of Sixth Avenue S and Fourth Street S because of a traffic light malfunction at the intersection.

Jaquith was driving east on Sixth Avenue towards the intersection at a high rate of speed and ignored the officer’s commands. When the officer tried to move out of the way, police said the car swerved toward
him, causing the officer to have to jump out of the way.

A few minutes later, at about 11:09 a.m., police said Jaquith was northbound on University Way N when he hit a Ford SUV driven by a 74 year old man who was eastbound on Third Avenue N. The 2004 Infinity sedan that Jaquith was driving also hit a parked Toyota sedan on the east side of University Way N.

The driver of the Ford sustained serious injuries and was taken to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. Jaquith sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Jaquith was charged after he was released from the hospital.

St Petersburg Police | Crime | Traffic Crash | Arrests | Tampabay News

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