Cops: Man Tried to Carjack Deputy After Crash

A 23-year-old Palm Harbor man is in a heap of trouble after Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputies say he assaulted an officer and tried to steal his cruiser.

The incident began to unfold around 4:25 a.m. Saturday as Deputy Richard Tipton, 56, was on patrol heading eastbound on Alderman Road. As Tipton approached Westlake Boulevard, he saw a man run from the south side of the road right into the path of an oncoming 2000 Chevrolet Suburban that was about 300 yards ahead of him, an email to media from the sheriff’s office stated.

The driver of the Suburban, Sharon Scroggins, 59, stopped abruptly, backed up and changed lanes before stopping again, the email stated.

As Tipton’s cruiser approached the scene, he saw the man lying in the road. It appeared that he had been struck by the Suburban, the email said. The man, however, got up as Tipton was activating his emergency lights and reporting the crash.

When Tipton went to check on the man’s condition, he “threw a punch without warning, striking Deputy Tipton on the left side of his head,” the email said. “Gavin then proceeded to strike the deputy several more times, breaking his eyeglasses and knocking him backwards to the ground.”

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At that point, Scroggins got out of the Suburban and tried to help Tipton. She suffered a head injury in the process, the email noted.

The man then ran over to Tipton’s marked cruiser, got inside and revved the engine while trying to put the car in gear.

“Deputy Tipton, still dazed from the blows to his head, was able to get up, call for back-up, open the driver’s door to the cruiser and deploy his electronic control device on the suspect, with no effect,” the email said. “Deputy Tipton utilized his ECD a second time to drive stun the suspect. Deputies say there was no apparent effect again.”

The man abandoned his attempt to take the cruiser and ran north across the median before falling to the ground, the email said. Despite that, deputies say the man kept fighting with them when back-up arrived to take him to jail.

Zane Thomas Gavin of Palm Harbor now faces aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, attempted carjacking and aggravated battery charges. Deputies plan to book him into the Pinellas County Jail after he is medically cleared. He was taken to Mease-Countryside Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, the email noted.

Gavin is no stranger to the Pinellas jail. He’s been booked in a number of times in recent months, most recently in December on DUI charges, jail records indicate.

Tipton was hired by the sheriff’s office in 1995. He was taken to Mease-Countryside Hospital following the incident for treatment of injuries to his left ear and lower lip. He also suffered a broken tailbone.

Photo credit: Zane Thomas Gavin/Pinellas County Jail

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