Driver Hits Police Car, Flees Accident
According to St. Petersburg Police, Officer John Martini was getting out of his car at an accident scene, when the vehicle was struck by 26-year-old Kimberly M. Argue.
At about 3 a.m. Monday, officers responded to a serious-injury accident at Gandy Boulevard and I-275.
According to St. Petersburg Police, Officer John Martini, 44, arrived on the scene of the accident and was exiting his police cruiser when a 2004 silver Toyota Corolla operated by Kimberly M. Argue struck the rear of his cruiser.
Argue, 26, then drove away from the scene and was subsequently pursued by a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper assisting officers at the accident site, police said.
Police said that Argue was stopped about a mile east of the accident scene and was later charged with DUI and Leaving the Scene of an Accident with Injuries.
Officer Martini was transported to Edward White Hospital for treatment, but was later released.
The female passenger in the Chrysler PT Cruiser involved in the original accident was transported to Bayfront Medical Center in critical condition.
Police said that the PT Cruiser had been involved in a single car accident when it veered off the road and struck a traffic signal control box on east bound Gandy Blvd.
The driver of the car suffered less severe injuries and was transported to Northside Hospital.
Traffic Homicide investigators are following up on that accident and will be releasing details later today, the news release said.
