Early Thursday morning a speeding car was trying to flee law enforcement when it crashed into a St. Petersburg house, according to law enforcement.

  • Driver sent to hospital with non-life threatening injuries
  • No one in the house injured
  • Drugs found inside the car 

The suspect, identified as Michael Amons Jr., 27, was charged with trafficking in cocaine, trafficking in MDMA, possession of hydromorphone, possession of marijuana, and reckless driving. 

Just before 2:45 a.m., Pinellas County Sheriff's Office was conducting a traffic stop when the car took off, with one of the deputies trying to stop it, authorities say.

A violent crime task force unit happened to be in the area and it spotted the car being driven recklessly at a high speed, according to deputies.

The unit and Pinellas County Sheriff's Office deputies did not try to stop the speeding vehicle, but did keep an eye on it, authorities said.

At around 2:52 a.m., the car crashed into a home on 5301 10th St. North, deputies say, adding that the people in the house at the time were not hurt.

"I say, 'What's going on? How are the police here? What's going on?' I did not process what happened until I see the car," said homeowner Ismet Huseinovic.

Huseinovic, who emigrated from the United States 23 years ago from Bosnia, described the scene as "total chaos" made worse by memories of the war-torn nation he left behind that came flooding back.

"Things happened like that in Bosnia when we were in the bunker," Huseinovic explained. "The tank hit our home, the same thing happened. Dust, debris,  exactly the same thing."

The driver, Amons, suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital. Pinellas Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. Spencer Gross said Amons was hitting speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, blowing through red lights and stop sign while driving with his head lights off.

"He used really poor judgment," Gross said. "He put a lot of people's lives at risk."

Deputies say that drugs were found inside the car and that the investigation is ongoing.