Florida Driver Charged With Attempted Murder After Cops Say He Dragged Deputy With His Car: Video

Shocking body cam footage appears to show the officer hanging on to the window and continuing to scream for Rocky Rudolph to stop.

July 02, 2019
Mug shot of Rocky Rudolph [Seminole County Sheriff's Office]

Photo by: Mug shot of Rocky Rudolph [Seminole County Sheriff's Office]

Mug shot of Rocky Rudolph [Seminole County Sheriff's Office]

By: Catherine Townsend

SEMINOLE COUNTY, FL — A Florida man has been charged with attempted murder after he was caught on camera allegedly dragging a sheriff's deputy with his car following a traffic stop, according to CNN.

Rocky Rudolph, 38, was pulled over by Seminole County Sheriff's Deputy Aaron Blais on Saturday. The incident began as a routine traffic stop.

Body camera footage released by the Seminole County Sheriff's Office shows the officer informing Rudolph that he pulled him over for having windows that were tinted darker than the law allowed. Rudolph appears calm at first, and even shares a joke with Blais about "Money," the middle name listed on his driver's license.

But then, Blais asked Rudolph if he had marijuana in the car, and told him to turn the engine off. In the video, Rudolph appears to become more and more agitated and begins to drive off while Blais is pulling out his gun and yelling: "I'm telling you right now.... Stop! Put it in park! Put your hands up!"

The shocking footage shows the officer hanging on to the window and continuing to scream for Rudolph to stop. The video then shows the deputy falling off of the car as it speeds away.

The officer fired his weapon, according to ABC 13, and hit Rudolph in the leg. Police said that the car reached a speed of nearly 50 miles per hour before Blais fell off.

The sheriff's office arrested Rudolph on Saturday, according to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office. He has been charged with attempted first-degree murder of a law-enforcement officer, aggravated battery on a law-enforcement officer, and resisting an officer with violence, according to county jail documents.

Blais was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released from the hospital on Saturday.

Rudolph is being held without bond in Seminole County Jail, and is due back in court on Monday. According to ABC 13, Rudolph has a lengthy criminal record with over 30 felonies on file.

It is unclear whether Rudolph currently has a lawyer, according to CNN.

Read more: CNN, ABC13

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