INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A West Palm Beach man who was first caught speeding on Interstate 95 through Indian River County is under arrest following a scuffle with a Florida Highway Patrol officer near County Road 512 and the highway.
Authorities arrested Richard Daniel Falcon, 32, of West Palm Beach, Friday afternoon following a failed traffic stop on the highway.
FHP Sgt. Mike Lanam stopped Falcon’s 2016 Jeep Cherokee for unlawful speed near mile marker 153, according to the agency. When Sgt. Lanam noticed narcotics in the Jeep, he tried to take Falcon into custody but he resisted.
Instead, Falcon pushed the sergeant and got back into the Jeep and fled northbound on the highway and exited on CR-512 where he crashed into trees. Falcon then fled from the area on foot, according to FHP.
Multiple agencies were called in to help, including the Fellsmere Police Department, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Wildlife Commission.
Ultimately, a K-9 unit from the Sheriff’s Office apprehended Falcon, who was nabbed by a canine. Falcon was treated for wounds sustained by the dog’s bite.
Falcon now faces charges that include battery on a law enforcement officer, unlawful speed, possession of drugs, and hit-and-run, according to FHP.
