JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — A Jacksonville Beach police officer was nearly dragged by the car he was inspecting early Sunday morning and it was captured on video.
This happened in front of the Starbucks on 1st Street North in Jacksonville right across from Oku.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
The car eventually crashed on Atlantic Boulevard and 3rd Street North.
The Jacksonville Beach Police Department couldn’t give Action News Jax’s Madison Foglio a lot of information because the investigation is active, but they did say they are looking to bring charges against that driver.
The car ended up crashing in Atlantic Beach and some damage left behind from where the car ended up was still visible on Monday.
Video captured from inside a parking garage shows the moment a car sped away from a Jacksonville Beach police officer and nearly took him out in the process.
Community mourns 17-year-old Talisse Patterson, shot and killed near Arlington Expressway
The video was taken between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. Sunday. It shows the officer speaking to the people inside the car.
The officer then opens the driver’s door and the person inside the car quickly tries to close the door, but the officer uses his body to keep it open.
The officer puts his head inside the car and the driver steps on the gas and drives away.
Another person is seen throwing a bike in front of the car as it speeds off on 3rd Street North.
Jacksonville mom demands answers after autistic child comes home from school with scratches
Joseph Sassa, who has lived in Jacksonville Beach his entire life, said he saw the video circulating online.
“Craziness, the beach is getting a little out of control I believe,” Sassa said.
Foglio showed the video to a Jax Beach bartender and it made him emotional.
“First Street should not be for cars, ever,” he said.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
The car eventually crashed into a tree and fence at a shopping plaza entrance on Atlantic Boulevard and 3rd Street North, just over two miles away from Jax Beach in Atlantic Beach.
Police say the suspect is not in custody.
The crash happened a couple hundred feet away from Le Petit Paris, where the owner said another car crashed into their planter almost two weeks ago after midnight.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
The owner was not able to do an interview with Foglio, but Noah Clark with V’s Pizza in Jax Beach said the entire situation is alarming and bad for business.
“It just makes us look bad, because people are obviously gonna be scared to come down these streets,” Clark said. “It can make me scared to come into work sometimes.”
Police said the officer shown in the video was injured, but has been treated and has since been released.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.