JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A naked man driving a stolen Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office cruiser crashed into the woods just off Interstate 10 on Thursday, according to News 6 partner News4Jax.
News4Jax reporter Joe McLean watched the crash that happened off I-10 near the 348 mile-marker just before noon.
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JSO said it started around 11:30 a.m. when a JSO officer spotted a naked man on the side of I-10 near Chaffee Road.
The officer stopped to try and help the man but he “became combative” and ran toward the officer’s car and jumped into the driver’s seat, JSO said.
A JSO spokesperson said the officer’s car door was closed, but not locked.
The officer was wrestling with the naked man, trying to get him out of the driver’s seat, according to JSO, but when the man started to drive away, the officer backed away because he was at risk of getting injured by the moving car.
The naked man drove the JSO vehicle erratically and it crashed into the trees a few minutes later.
The man, who appeared to be in a distressed mental state, lept out of the driver’s side window and started screaming.
JSO officers were just seconds behind and arrived with weapons drawn and took the man into custody.
The man was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
JSO said the officer involved was “clipped” by the vehicle as it drove away and sustained minor injuries but wasn’t admitted to the hospital.
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