FHP says man struck trooper's cruiser on purpose

SANFORD, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - The Florida Highway Patrol says a trooper was was sitting in a marked patrol car when he was struck by another vehicle.

It happened along eastbound lanes of Interstate 4 near Sanford, around 12:30 p.m. on Monday, and investigators believe the act was intentional.

Trooper Joseph Perri was finishing up paperwork on the shoulder of the road, as a 2005 Hyundai four-door left the roadway and struck the left side of the FHP patrol car.  The Hyundai came to rest, off of the roadway, after the impact.  

The driver, 38-year-old, Ryan John Hithersay, of Daytona Beach, got out of his vehicle and walked back towards the trooper's patrol car.  He then stated that he struck the patrol car on purpose, the FHP reports.

Hithersay was arrested for aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and booked into the Seminole County Jail. Perri was transported to the hospital as a precaution.