An Orlando police officer shot and killed a fast driver in downtown Orlando on Sunday night, the police chief said. The driver almost hit people and then drove toward the officers.
Cliff Presley Garcia Francois, who is 29 years old, was caught. Police say that around 11 p.m., bike units were sent to the 55 West garage because of reports of a strange car.
Police in Orlando say Francois drove “recklessly” on Pine Street and ran a red light at Orange Avenue after speeding out of the garage.
Police say he hit a car near Court Avenue, kept going toward Magnolia Avenue, and then drove toward them. A news statement said that one of the officers fired before the car hit the back of a patrol car.
“There were a lot of regular people on the road because it was Halloween weekend.” The car went through the crowd and tried to get away by using a path. “Many people had to jump out of the way,” the arrest statement said.
The shots did not hit Francois, and Chief Eric Smith said that there were no police officers in the patrol car.
“People were moving out of the way when they saw the car coming,” Smith said when asked if Francois almost hit any people on the ground. “… people put on their running shoes to avoid getting hit.”
Smith said that the police cars were there to help stop people from going through the intersections, and that it “definitely slowed him down.”
Francois kept driving on Magnolia Avenue until he hit a light pole close to Livingston Street. He then got out of the car and ran away from police, but he was caught and held, according to police.
“There were probably 30 to 40 people in the street between Pine and Court and Pine and Magnolia,” Smith said. “Once they saw the first car hit them, they started to leave.”
The police said Francois had been jailed 11 times before.
He is being charged with many things, such as fleeing the scene of an accident, driving recklessly, and resisting an officer without violence.
As per policy, the cop who shot at Francois will be on paid administrative leave for a while. The killing will be looked into by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
He is being charged with aggravated fleeing or elude with injury or damage, hit and run leaving the scene of an accident causing damage to property, aggravated assault with a motor vehicle, aggravated assault on specified personnel, reckless driving causing damage to person or property, resisting an officer without violence, and driving with a license that has been suspended or revoked.
