SARASOTA, Fla. — The Sarasota Police Department has released video of an officer-involved crash involving an 8-year-old child on a dirt bike.
Police say the child remains hospitalized at the time of this report.
The department's chief, Rex Troche, details the circumstances leading up to the crash - which police say occurred as the officer left the scene of an unrelated call for service on Monday evening around 6:30 p.m.
You can watch the full video below; viewer discretion is advised.
This happened at the intersection of 23rd Street and Maple Avenue.
Police say a child entered the roadway on a dirt bike.
The video provided offers a dash camera perspective and another officer's body warn camera.
The Sarasota Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol are continuing to investigate the incident.
You can read the Chief's message here:
"I'm Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche. Today we are sharing a significant update regarding the crash Monday night. The collision occurred around 6:30 in the evening, at the intersection of 23rd Street and Maple Avenue. The officer was leaving the scene of a separate call for service when the child entered the intersection in front of the officer’s vehicle. The child is still hospitalized at this time, and we cannot imagine how difficult this is for his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. We are partnering with the Florida Highway Patrol to conduct a thorough investigation. As a transparent agency, we are releasing two videos today, despite this crash being under active investigation. One of the videos is the officer’s body camera video. We want to warn you that the video is difficult to hear and watch. Viewer discretion is advised. The other video is from a different officer’s in-car camera. If you look to the right of the screen, you will see the child on the dirt bike, just moments before the crash. Again, we want to warn you that this video may be difficult for you to watch."
