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FORT PIERCE, Fla. (WFLA) — The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office reported a chaotic incident involving a reckless driver who wreaked havoc across a parking lot and local roads on Monday, culminating in the overturning of a U-Haul truck.
According to the SLCSO, dispatchers started receiving frantic calls around 5:15 p.m. about a U-Haul truck driving dangerously and forcing other vehicles off the road in the Lakewood Park neighborhood.
One deputy, tracking the erratic movements of the truck, spotted it in the Winn-Dixie parking lot. The driver’s reckless behavior posed a significant risk to both pedestrians and other drivers, according to the SLCSO.
The Sheriff’s Office emphasized the severity of the situation, noting, “The driver presented a major hazard to motorists, compelling several vehicles to swerve off the roadway and creating a serious threat to public safety.”
When deputies tried to pull over the truck, the driver, identified as Brian Lassonde, chose to ignore the flashing lights and blaring sirens, opting instead to flee through the traffic.
The U-Haul crashed after colliding with multiple vehicles, striking traffic signs, rupturing a water main and injuring a another driver, SLCSO said.
Body camera footage showed the U-Haul truck flipped on its side as Lassonde attempted to climb through the back windshield per a deputy’s instruction.
According to SLCSO, deputies booked Lassonde into the St. Lucie County Jail, where he remains held without bond pending first appearance.
SLCSO said it arrested Lassonde on suspicion of three counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing or eluding that resulted in injury or death and failure to remain at a crash involving serious bodily injury.
“The investigation remains active as deputies work to determine whether Lassonde was under the influence of controlled substances at the time of the incident,” SLCSO said.
 
					 
							 
					 
					 
					 
					 
					 
					 
					 
					 
						 
						 
						