On October 20, 2025, a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper was assaulted during a traffic stop on State Road 579 in Hillsborough County. The incident involved Leonardo Gomez Hernandez, a 40-year-old man who was in the United States without legal status. The trooper stopped the vehicle for an improperly displayed tag and found that both the driver and passenger did not have legal immigration status.
When the trooper tried to detain Gomez Hernandez under the 287(g) immigration enforcement program, Gomez Hernandez resisted arrest. He tried to run away. The trooper used a taser, but Gomez Hernandez then choked and punched the officer. Additional troopers arrived and detained him.
Attorney General James Uthmeier said Gomez Hernandez will be charged with Resisting an Officer with Violence and Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer. Both are second-degree felonies, each with a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine…