Deputy hit by car, injured when man takes off during stop

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MGN

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – A Florida sheriff’s deputy is recovering from injuries to his leg and foot suffered when he was struck by a vehicle near Tampa.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Crystal Nunez said in a news release that Deputy Thomas Paradiso was conducting a traffic stop Friday morning when he heard several motorists honking their horns.

Peradiso saw a driver slumped over the steering wheel of a vehicle. He approached the car and knocked on the window. The driver became alert and said he was OK.

Nunez says the driver started fumbling for his ID and then took off, hitting the deputy.

Paradiso was taken to a hospital for treatment. Deputies are still searching for the man in the car.

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