ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office is investigating one of their own after a deputy pulled a cyclist off his bike in the middle of traffic, sending him to the hospital.
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Appearing to hook his arm around cyclist Christian Davis, a helmet camera captured the moment a St. Johns County Sheriff’s Deputy caused Davis to crash down onto the pavement of the Palm Valley Bridge last Thursday.
Moments later, the wheels of a car appear to pass just feet from Davis’ head.
“I tried to tell you to stop, you didn’t stop,” the deputy can be heard telling the cyclists after the accident in an extended version of the video obtained by Action News Jax.
“I tried to!” Davis responded.
The video goes on to show Davis on the ground before being taken away on a stretcher by first responders.
“SJSO immediately initiated an investigation on the evening of occurrence. Out of respect for all parties involved, we will not comment on this incident while we research and review all video and other evidence available,” said a spokesperson for the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
According to an eyewitness who asked not to be named, the cyclists had just run a red light, which can be seen in the full version of the video footage.
The deputy can then be seen driving past the group with his lights off before the witness tells me he stopped on the downhill side of the bridge.
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“You have to stop at a red light,” the deputy told the group of cyclists.
“But this is the cause for that? This calls for that?” one of the cyclists replied.s
The witness told Action News Jax that due to the slope, the cyclists’ speed, and the short window between seeing the deputy and reaching his position, it was difficult to stop in time.
“How am I supposed to stop on a downhill?” Davis asked while lying on the street.
Realtime speed readings captured by the helmet camera footage also suggest the cyclists were in the process of slowing down.
According to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation into the incident is still active and updates will be provided when available.
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