Illegal immigrant accused of choking, punching trooper in Tampa

The Brief

  • An illegal immigrant is being held without bond in Hillsborough County after a trooper says he punched and choked him as he was being detained.
  • During a traffic stop, the trooper learned that the passenger, Leonardo Gomez Hernandez, 40, of Mexico, had entered the country illegally.
  • He will be charged with resisting an officer with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer, both of which are second-degree felonies due to his status as an illegal immigrant.

TAMPA, Fla. An illegal immigrant is being held without bond in Hillsborough County after a trooper says he punched and choked him as he was being detained.

The backstory:

According to Florida’s Attorney General, a trooper pulled over a vehicle on Fletcher Avenue on October 20, 2025, for an improperly displayed tag.

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