You truly never know how a routine traffic stop could potentially end. Two Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputies had pulled someone over on North Collier Boulevard when a car came barreling toward them and slammed into the back of a patrol cruiser. There was almost no warning. In the seconds before impact, the deputies and the driver they had stopped all scrambled clear. Everyone on the roadside got out of the way just in time.
The driver, identified as 78-year-old Jan Renan, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. Fortunately, no one was injured. That includes the deputies, not the stopped driver, and Renan. A scene that could have killed several people ended with a wrecked cruiser and a criminal charge instead, however.
For the deputies, it was a violent interruption of an ordinary task. Traffic stops are among the most routine things a patrol officer does, dozens of times a shift, and the vast majority end without a scratch. This one shows how fast that can change and how it’s not just officers who have to deal with the risk of a roadside stop…