4 Arrested After Fleeing Deputies, Crashing Near I-75: Hillsborough Sheriff

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Four people were arrested after a driver fled from Hillsborough County deputies and crashed into an embankment near Interstate 75 and U.S. Highway 301, authorities said.

A Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office corporal was also injured when another vehicle hit her patrol car while she was working at the crash scene, the agency said.

HCSO announced the arrests Tuesday, more than a week after the incident.

On the night of Oct. 19, deputies tried to stop a vehicle for failing to maintain its lane on Gibsonton Drive near I-75 around 10 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office. The driver refused to stop and fled at a high rate of speed.

Covert deputies tracked the vehicle as it traveled through multiple Hillsborough County roadways. The agency’s Aviation Unit also responded to assist with the pursuit.

From the air, aviation deputies saw the vehicle cross outside a guardrail and continue into a construction zone. The vehicle subsequently crashed into an embankment near I-75 and North U.S. Highway 301, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies detained the driver, Leo Gradley III, 29, and passenger Angel Pribble, 27, a short distance from the crash. The other two passengers, Jasmine Likely, 36, and Andrew Hopson, 33, were detained at the scene.

Investigators determined Gradley’s driver’s license had been revoked since July 18, 2024, following a previous charge of fleeing to elude law enforcement in Manatee County. Deputies also found a bag of crushed diazepam pills in the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.

Gradley faces charges of fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer, driving with a canceled, suspended or revoked license, possession of a controlled substance, leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, resisting an officer without violence and trespassing on a construction site.

Pribble, Likely and Hopson face charges of possession of a controlled substance and trespassing on a construction site.

Hopson was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, while Pribble was additionally arrested for resisting an officer without violence.

The incident also resulted in injuries to HCSO Cpl. Niomi Bruce, 30, who was sitting in her assigned patrol vehicle on northbound I-75 with its emergency lights activated when another vehicle struck it from behind.

Bruce was taken to Tampa General Hospital and released Oct. 20, the sheriff’s office said.

Sheriff Chad Chronister urged drivers to follow Florida’s Move Over law.

“We are incredibly thankful she's back home with her family, because we know this could have been so much worse,” Chronister said in a statement. "Florida's Move Over law exists to protect the men and women who keep our roads safe, and it only takes a moment to follow it. When you see flashing lights, slow down and move over. It could save a life."

The Florida Highway Patrol investigated the crash involving Bruce’s patrol vehicle. That driver was cited for careless driving, HCSO said.

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