A pickup truck rear-ended the prisoner transport van, according to the Pinellas County sheriff.

PINELLAS PARK – A jail inmate was injured Monday (Oct. 10) while a passenger in a prison transport van that was hit from behind, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said.

Luis Santiago, 39, of St. Petersburg, received non-life-threatening injuries, deputies said. Santiago, who had been arrested and accused of domestic battery and violation of probation (possession of marijuana), was handcuffed in the back of the transport van at the time of the crash. He was taken to Bayfront Medical Center. There were no other injuries.

The crash happened about 9:30 p.m. when G4S Security Officer Eric Lawson, 42, had stopped the sheriff’s 2009 Chevrolet transport van he was driving at a red traffic light on 49th Street N at the intersection with 62nd Avenue N. A 2014 Toyota Tundra driven by 40-year-old Windell Green, pulled up behind the transport van and stopped for the same red traffic light. When the traffic
light turned green, deputies said the Tundra accelerated and rear-ended the transport van.

There was minor damage to both vehicles. Deputies said impairment does not appear to be a factor in the crash.

For information about the Pinellas sheriff, go to pcsoweb.com.

Pinellas County Sheriff | Prisoner Injured | Traffic Crash | Tampa Bay Reporter

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