Only in Fla: Pensacola officer runs over, kills suspect during chase

A Pensacola police officer was placed on administrative leave Saturday after his cruiser ran over and killed a bicyclist he was pursuing. Pensacola Police Department Chief John W. Mathis said Officer Jerald Ard, 35, had been placed on administrative leave pending the results of an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

According to a Saturday afternoon news release, Ard saw a suspicious man in a construction site about 1:50 a.m. Saturday, while he was on routine patrol near Cervantes and T streets.

The man left the scene on a bicycle and Ard pursued, attempting to stop him using verbal commands and blue police lights, the release said. The officer also tried unsuccessfully to shock the fleeing man with a Taser stun gun, according to the release. After the Taser was fired, the man turned into the parking lot of a vacant business near R Street, crashed his bicycle, and was run over by the pursuing police car, according to the release.

The man, identified as 17 year old Victor Steen, was pinned beneath the car during the crash, and was pronounced dead at the scene.