A Minneola teen was arrested after crashing into the back of another vehicle and fleeing to Econo Inn.
A trooper responded to a traffic collision, later found to involve 19-year-old Anquavin Sincere Manuel, at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 27 and Palm Way in Leesburg around 3:35 p.m. Monday, according to an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
Upon arrival, he found a bright red Ford Ranger with heavy damage to the rear right side. The driver stated he was in the inside lane when he was suddenly struck by a small black sedan. The vehicle subsequently veered right off the roadway, struck a traffic sign and fled north, the report said.
The driver parked on the left grass shoulder, and his wife called 911 to report the incident. As the trooper took his statement, a passerby advised that a Leesburg officer had the vehicle stopped at Econo Inn, which was a quarter mile down the road at 24926 U.S. Hwy. 27, Leesburg, the report said.
Law enforcement drove over to the inn where Manuel sat in a black Kia Spectra with heavy front end damage to the left side. A check of his driving history revealed his license had been suspended for unpaid traffic citations since Jan. 26, the report said.
He initially claimed his friend “Davian” was driving but later fled on foot. He stated he did not know his friend’s last name but admitted he made no attempt to report the collision. Only when the trooper threatened to check the inn’s cameras did he say he was actually the driver, the report said.
A check of the vehicle’s VIN followed, and it came back unregistered with no active insurance policy, the report said.
Additionally, an inventory of the vehicle was taken and led to the discovery of a driver’s license check paper in the glove compartment. It was printed less than one hour before the traffic accident and displayed his suspended status for unpaid citations, the report said.
Manuel was arrested on charges of driving while license suspended, give false information or reports to police, and leave scene of crash involving damage to property. The Louisianna native was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $2,000 bond.