Shocking video released Thursday by the Florida Highway Patrol shows law enforcement violently dragging a suspected bank robber out of his car after a dangerous, high-speed chase on U.S. Highway 27 in Clermont.
Dash-cam video from inside a police cruiser shows a dangerous 12-minute pursuit of a red Toyota Camry as investigators say the suspect, Brian Richards, reaches speeds of up to 130 mph.
Richards is accused of robbing the Trustco Bank on High Grove Blvd. on April 17.
Troopers say the video shows Richards driving recklessly as he tried to get away from deputies, even driving the wrong way on the busy highway around 2 p.m.
Lake County deputies used stop sticks to disable the car, which that crashed into another vehicle. The driver of the second car was not hurt, troopers said.
"This is a bank robbery suspect who implied he had a gun," said FHP Sgt. Kim Montes, adding that caused deputies to be on high alert.
After stopping the suspect's car, deputies smashed the driver's-side window and even stuck the head of a police dog through the window. The Lake County Sheriff's Office said the dog was not hurt, and was used as a way for the deputies to protect themselves from the suspect.
Deputies said Richards put up a fight as they dragged him out of the car and into handcuffs.
"Luckily, this ended up with on one being hurt," said Montes. "Only one minor crash at the end, and a bank robbery suspect was brought into custody."
Both FHP troopers and Lake County deputies responded to the call. FHP said anytime there is a pursuit, the officers' response is evaluated, but it didn't appear their troopers did anything wrong. The pursuit, however, remains under review.
Meanwhile, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said their deputies followed protocol, adding supervisors and deputies are allowed to use their own discretion when chasing suspects.