Sarasota officer on leave crashes into 8-year-old on motorcycle: police

An 8-year-old boy was riding a motorcycle was left with serious injuries after a Sarasota police officer crashed into him on Monday.

The officer was leaving the scene on another call when the collision occurred near the intersection of 23rd Street and Maple Avenue at 6:30 p.m. taken to Johns Hopkins Children’s Hospital with severe injuries and underwent surgery. The the policeman was not injured and is on administrative duty with limited access, police said.

“…He (the child) remains under the care of medical professionals surrounded by family,” SPD communications specialist Monica Galeano-Bush said. “Our thoughts are with the child and her loved ones at this difficult time.”

The Sarasota Police Department is on the scene of a serious injury crash on Maple Avenue. The area from the 2100 block to the 2400 block of Maple Avenue is closed to traffic while officers gather evidence and investigate. pic.twitter.com/yb7teVeKsC

— Sarasota Police Department (@SarasotaPD) October 29, 2024

Galeano-Bush was unable to share additional information about the circumstances leading to the crash and said the department would share information as it became available.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Sarasota Crime Stoppers anonymously at 941-366-TIPS.

This article originally appeared in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune: An 8-year-old child was seriously injured after a crash with a Sarasota police officer