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A 76-year-old Florida man was arrested after he deliberately slammed his Porsche into a traffic control worker last week, police said in a statement.
According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, On November 3, 2022, Donald Allen Steimle from Ocala, Florida, was arrested and charged with purposely running over a traffic control worker. The worker, identified as Isaiah, was directing traffic on the Camino Del Mar Parkway.
In the video, the suspect, who was arrested and charged within 90 minutes of the incident, denied plowing through the victim unhurt by the incident. However, body cam footage showed Isiah recounting the ordeal to the officer.
The victim said that the elderly man reportedly grew impatient waiting in his car while the victim directed traffic on the road, reduced to one lane as the area was being paved.
A Florida man entered a single lane without being directed by the traffic worker
According to Florida authorities, Isaiah was directing traffic when he noticed Steimle, who was driving a black Porsche Cayenne, enter a single lane without being directed by the worker.
Isaiah, seemingly weary that the action might culminate in a headlong collision, tried to talk to the unruly driver who yelled at the victim. After which, the driver reportedly barreled forward and struck Isiah in the leg, who was fortunately unhurt by the incident.
Isiah then managed to capture the license plate and called the authorities, who tracked down the elderly man in his home after eyewitnesses corroborated the victim's statements.
When asked if he purposely meant to strike the victim, the suspect denied the allegations and replied:
“Of course not. Why would I run over somebody?”
He then went on to suggest that perhaps the victim saw him driving the nice vehicle and decided to profit from the incident.
When the officers said that they had witnesses who corroborated the victim's story, a defiant Steimle said to the woman standing next to him that the police would arrest him based on a story from a “looney.” The suspect was then taken into custody.
Florida officials urge the public to follow traffic rules
Following the incident, officials urged the public to adhere to traffic rules placed on them for safety. In a statement, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said:
“Although no one enjoys waiting in road construction traffic, following the directions of traffic safety workers is necessary to ensure everyone’s safety. Thankfully, the injuries the victim sustained, in this case, were not life-threatening and the driver’s impatience got him a trip to the Green Roof Inn.”
Authorities said that the elderly suspect was detained at Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and was later released on bond. Steimle was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and could face up to 15 years in prison.
