Ocala Police Department officer seriously injured when struck by a fleeing car.
Two people died and a third person — an Ocala Police Department officer — was seriously injured late Saturday in separate but related vehicle crashes.
On Monday, officers said Sgt. Ron Malone, the injured officer, is expected to be released from ICU. He will remain at the hospital for more treatment and has "a long recovery journey ahead of him," police officials said.
Shortly before 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Ocala Police officers responded to a crash at South Pine Avenue and Southwest 17th Street. The crash involved two vehicles, one of which fled the scene.
As officers were gathering information about that crash, an Acura ILX was eastbound on 17th Street and struck a parked patrol vehicle and a pedestrian near the site of the initial crash. The Acura did not stop, and officers pursued that vehicle.
An Ocala officer — Malone — was inside an SUV, which was parked facing west in the grassy median on Maricamp Road near First Baptist Church. The Acura struck that SUV head-on, police said.
The Acura driver was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died. The pedestrian also was taken to a hospital, where he died. Malone was hospitalized.
On Sunday, police officials released the names of the people involved. The Acura driver has been identified as Kristopher Kent Winningham, 44, of Ocala. The pedestrian killed was identified as 44-year-old James Anthony Thompson Jr. from Williston.
Records show Winningham was released from prison last year. He served time for fleeing and eluding and resisting a law enforcement official.
The vehicle that fled the initial crash at Pine and 17th Street eventually was found on Maricamp Road. That driver was taken into custody.
Officers said they think Winningham may have deliberately run into the police vehicle. That part of the investigation is ongoing.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Two men dead, one Ocala police officer seriously hurt in series of crashes
