PALM CITY, Fla. — A 33-year-old man from Colombia is in custody after he ran from a trooper following a traffic stop Thursday afternoon along Interstate 95 in Martin County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
This happened on northbound I-95 at mile marker 113 in Palm City at about 3:51 p.m.
FHP said the man, Jaime Alberto Silvabernal, was driving a Chevrolet Traverse when a trooper tried to stop the vehicle because the Traverse's tag was not assigned to the vehicle.
During the investigation, it was determined that the vehicle had no active registration and the license plate attached had been previously assigned.
FHP said Silvabernal did not have legal status in the United States.
Investigators said when the trooper asked the driver to step out of the vehicle, he initially complied; however, when one handcuff was placed on the left wrist, the driver failed to follow the directions of the trooper and "actively resisted with violence."
During the struggle, the FHP said Silvabernal escaped and began to run south in the northbound lanes while traffic was still approaching.
FHP said with the assistance of the Martin County Sheriff's Office, Port St. Lucie Police Department and the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, a perimeter was set up from mile marker 114 south to mile marker 110.
Law enforcement began to track Silvabernal south on the east side of the fence separating Interstate 95 and residential areas bordering the highway.
Silvabernal was found on the east side of the fence in the bushes.
FHP said when Martin County deputies ordered him to surrender, he refused, and a Martin County K-9 was deployed and bit the suspect's left arm.
Silvabernal was then taken into custody and treated for his injuries. FHP said he will be booked into the Martin County Jail on multiple charges.
No officers or the K-9 were hurt.
