APOPKA, Fla. – A 33-year-old man faces multiple charges, including attempted 2nd-degree murder on a law enforcement officer, after striking his pregnant girlfriend and leading Apopka police on a dangerous vehicle pursuit, according to an arrest affidavit.
Apopka police said they received multiple 911 calls regarding an incident at a McDonald’s located at 233 East Main Street on Oct. 16 just before midnight. Callers reported a vehicle crash, a disturbance and a battery between a man and a woman, police said.
Apopka police officers arrived at the scene and identified a victim and two witnesses.
According to an arrest affidavit, the suspect – later identified Ronnie Bridges Jr. – was driving a gray Toyota Camry and was chasing the victim, who was driving a silver Toyota Camry, into the McDonald’s parking lot “at a fast speed.”
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Police said Bridges intentionally rammed the front of his vehicle into the driver’s side of the victim’s car. Bridges exited his vehicle, walked up to the victim’s vehicle, opened the driver’s side door and “began striking her multiple times.”
The victim moved from the driver’s seat to the front passenger seat to try to get away from Bridges, but he entered the driver’s seat of the victim’s car and continued to strike her numerous times, officers said.
According to the affidavit, the victim opened the front passenger door and fell out of the vehicle onto the ground.
Bridges was was seen crawling through the vehicle, exiting through the passenger side door. The suspect got out of the vehicle and continued to repeatedly strike the victim as she was on the ground, officers said.
According to Apopka police, Bridges “noticed he was being watched by bystanders, which caused him to get back into his vehicle and drive off at a high rate of speed onto US 441.”
The arrest affidavit noted that the victim had a black eye, bloody scrapes on her left knee and was panicked and visibly upset.
Police said the victim is 37 weeks pregnant and claimed to be “wet from what she believed was her water breaking.”
The woman was crying and stated that she believed Bridges would kill her if she said his name to law enforcement. She told police that Bridges is the father of her unborn child and they live together “as a family.”
According to the affidavit, Apopka police received another 911 call from a witness saying that the suspect pulled into a bank parking lot where he was seen discarding items from his vehicle, then placing his broken bumper into the car. The witness followed Bridges’ vehicle until police located it.
Police said they tried to pull over the suspect in the area of Ocoee Apopka Road and Marden Road, but Bridges fled. After briefly disengaging the suspect’s car, another officer confirmed the aggravated battery charges over the radio and a second officer attempted to pull over Bridges’ vehicle.
Officers again tried to pull over Bridges, but he drove at a high rate of speed, running stop signs, turning off his headlights and driving on the wrong side of the road. During the pursuit, Bridges is accused of passing multiple vehicles that were traveling on the roadway. The pursuit lasted for approximately six miles, police said.
According to the affidavit, “due to his actions” Bridges caused two Apopka police vehicles to crash during the pursuit and was the cause of damage to a third police vehicle in the area of Clarcona and McCormick roads.
Bridges continued to drive southbound on Clarcona Road and drove off of the road to the right onto the grass, police said. He then drove through an embankment, causing the pursuing officer’s patrol vehicle to sustain about $5,000 in damage, according to the affidavit.
Police said Bridges then made a U-turn to travel northbound on Clarcona Road into the oncoming lane, driving head-on toward a police K-9 vehicle. That officer had to take evasive action to avoid being crashed into, according to law enforcement officials.
After that officer moved out of the path of the suspect’s vehicle, Bridges then drove head-on toward another Apopka police officer, causing that officer to also take evasive action. This caused the police vehicle to sideswipe the other patrol vehicle, police said. The damage to those two police vehicles was estimated to be around $5,200, the report states.
According to the affidavit, “the suspect continued to flee from Apopka Police Officers by traveling westbound on McCormick Road until the pursuit was terminated by the on duty watch commander.”
Police also noted that Bridges only has a Florida identification card since his driver’s license was suspended and revoked.
According to the affidavit, Bridges’ criminal history includes seven felony convictions, including being arrested twice for domestic battery.
Bridges was also out on bond for failing to register as a sex offender and was last released from prison on June 20.
In this latest incident, police said Bridges faces charges of attempted second-degree murder on a law enforcement officer dues to his actions in the police chase.
In addition, he faces charges of burglary of a conveyance with battery, aggravated battery on a pregnant victim, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing and eluding, leaving the scene of a crash with injuries and driving while license is suspended or revoked.
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