Florida Highway Patrol trooper killed in South Florida crash while pursuing criminal on I-95
Photo courtesy: Port St. Lucie Police Department
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was killed in a crash with a semi-truck while pursuing a criminal in South Florida on Friday morning, the department announced.
According to the Port St. Lucie Police Department, Trooper Zachary Fink, 26, died Friday morning while attempting to apprehend a felon on I-95. FHP reported that the felon Fink was pursuing attempted a U-turn, leading Fink to execute a U-turn that led to a crash with a semi-truck.
READ: Jamaica and Bahamas travel advisories: What to know
The driver of the semi-truck also died in the crash, according to FHP. The pursuit continued after, and the suspect crashed his vehicle and fled the scene.
According to police, an adult black man was detained at the scene in connection to the pursuit.
"Trooper Fink is a hero. Trooper Fink died in the line of duty," said Dave Kerner, the executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. "As his stepmother relates to me since he was six years old, all he's ever wanted to do was help people."