A Florida Highway Patrol officer did not appreciate PINAC’s Jeff Gray from photographing and recording the scene of a single motorcycle accident Friday, ordering him away from what he called “my crime scene.”
But the cop did not say a thing to the woman who rode her bicycle right through the scene.
And Gray did not even cross the street as the woman did.
But he did not have a camera, so that made all the difference in the world.
First, the cop demanded Gray’s identification, telling him he needed his name for the “crash report,” even though Gray was not a witness to the incident.
But because Gray did not want to provide identification, he was ordered to walk even further back.
“All I’m asking you is to go ahead and leave my crime scene,” said the trooper.
“Where’s the scene begin and end?” Gray asked.
“We don’t know yet, so I need you to back up,” the cop responded.
There was no legitimate reason to expand the “crime scene” other than to ensure Gray would not take photos.
At the time, the two victims on the motorcycle had already been transported by ambulance, including a man who died.
According to News 4 Jax:
A man died in a motorcycle accident in Fruit Cove Friday, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The crash happened around 2:20 p.m. on Longleaf Pine Parkway, north of Roberts Road.
Troopers said John Miller, 62, was traveling north on Longleaf Pine Parkway on a 1998 Honda motorcycle with a 58-year-old woman as a passenger.
For unknown reasons still under investigation, the motorcycle struck the raised center median of Longleaf Pine Parkway. Troopers said this caused the motorcycle to cross over the median and enter the southbound lanes on Longleaf Pine Parkway.
Miller and the woman were thrown from the motorcycle. Troopers said Miller was taken by Life Flight to UF Health in Jacksonville, where he later died. The woman suffered serious injuries and was taken to Baptist Medical Center South.
According to FHP’s report, Miller and the woman were wearing helmets at the time and alcohol was not a factor in the crash.
Fortunately, Gray was able to take his photos, one which was used by News 4 Jax in the above story.