Thanksgiving Day 5K Threatened By Reckless Driver: St. Pete Police

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Officers prevented what could have been a Thanksgiving Day disaster by stopping a reckless driver from plowing her SUV into runners during the Coffee Pot Turkey Trot 5K.

Police saw Ashlee Lauren Morgan, 38, speeding toward the 5K’s racecourse, which was closed to traffic as 3,000 runners came through the area, around 8 a.m. on Thursday, according to a news release from the St. Petersburg Police Department.

As she drove on Coffee Pot Boulevard NE, heading toward Snell Isle Bridge, which was being used for the race, three officers tried to stop her, asking for her credentials, police said. She refused to stop, driving past barricades and lighted police cars, and sped onto the racecourse.

Another officer tried to stop Morgan at the intersection of Snell Isle Boulevard NE and Brightwater Boulevard NE, but she also ignored his commands and drove by several police cruisers strategically placed at the intersection, including two with their emergency lights on, according to SPPD.

She was eventually forced to stop at the intersection of Brightwater Boulevard NE and Lamara Way NE by another officer.

Police later learned that Morgan had earlier left the scene of a crash at 26th Avenue NE and 1st Street NE, where she hit a stop sign. There was visible damage to the rear bumper of her SUV.

While under arrest, she banged her head against the rear windows of the police cruiser, tried to get out of the car while her handcuffs were being adjusted, and was combative, the agency said. Officers used pepper spray on her twice during her arrest.

Morgan was charged with two felony counts of fleeing and eluding, police said. She also faces several misdemeanor charges, including leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, reckless driving and resisting an office without violence.