HAINES CITY, Fla. — Haines City Police are searching for a suspect they say attempted to hit two men with a truck following an altercation on Sunday night, according to a news release.
- Incident occurred following party on private property
- Anselmo Salazar, 35, and Hugo Gonzalez, 34, both injured
- Detectives attempting to identify driver, others in the truck
- More Polk County stories
Officials say the incident occurred on April 14, 2019 just after a party cleared out of the Rancho Los Pinos private property on Hinson Avenue. Deputies responded to the scene around 10:30 p.m. in response to a reported hit-and-run.
Investigators learned that as the party was clearing out, a verbal altercation broke out between some individuals that eventually became physical.
At that point, witnesses said the driver of a black Ford pickup truck intentionally drove into two men. Anselmo Salazar, 35, received minor injuries, while Hugo Zarate Gonzalez was severely injured. A third individual managed to jump out of the way of the truck.
The Sheriff's Office obtained video shot on a mobile device showing the crash and the pickup truck driving off afterwards.
"The video capturing this incident is shocking and it's amazing no one died as a result of this intentional act," said Polk Sheriff Grady Judd.
There were other individuals inside the truck at the time of the incident, according to the Sheriff's Office. Detectives are attempting to identify the driver and the others in the truck, which was last seen traveling west on Cattle Trail Road.
The suspect faces two counts of Aggravated Battery and one count of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
Anyone with information about the incident or the whereabouts of the truck or its occupants is asked to contact Detective Watson at (863) 236-3900 or call Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS. People with information can also submit tips online through www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com or the free "P3Tips" app for mobile devices.