Lecanto Pursuit Suspect Crashes into Four Cars at McDonalds Drive-Thru
Customers at a Lecanto McDonald’s got quite the scare on the afternoon of Tuesday, December 29th when a police chase ended with the suspect smashing his vehicle into four cars in line at the restaurant’s drive-thru.
It chase began at 12:40 p.m. when Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a hit and run accident near the intersection of Grover Cleveland Blvd. and CR 491. When they arrived on scene, deputies say a vehicle matching the description of a car involved in the hit and run was leaving the scene. Deputies began to follow the vehicle eastbound down Grover Cleveland Boulevard when the vehicle turned around in a driveway and headed the opposite direction, picking up speed on Grover Cleveland Boulevard before turning north on CR 491. Deputies eventually deployed stop sticks at Woodland Ridge and CR 491, just before the intersection. The stop sticks blew the suspect’s front right tire out and slowed the car down, but did not stop the vehicle.
The suspect then continued North on CR 491, with deputies right behind him. He pulled into the McDonalds parking lot in Lecanto at the corner of CR 486/491 and smashed into four cars that were in the drive thru, before coming to a stop. Deputies grabbed the suspect and pulled him out through the window of the vehicle. He was identified as Stephen Mansfield, 26, of Holder and being is charged with four counts of aggravated battery, DUI, fleeing and eluding, and two counts of hit and run (apparently, the Florida Highway Patrol was already looking for Mansfield when the responded to the accident as he was suspected to have been involved in a different hit and run accident that occurred earlier that morning). No one was injured in the crash at the McDonald’s.
Injuries and damages are made all the more frustrating/stressful when they are caused by blatantly negligent or impaired drivers. If you were an innocent bystander affected by someone else’s carelessness on the road, in a parking lot, or while walking down the street, you could be entitled to compensation for your injuries or damages. Contact us today at 877-FL-INJURY (877-354-6587) for a free initial consultation.
James O. Cunningham
Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.