A routine traffic stop in Hillsborough County, Florida, turned into a felony case when a motorcyclist tried to flee from a deputy, knocked the deputy to the ground, and then returned to the scene after realizing his passenger had fallen off.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office posted the body camera footage on Facebook, which shows the incident occurring around 10:08 p.m. on September 6, 2026, after a deputy attempted to stop a motorcycle for speeding on East College Avenue.
Instead of listening to the deputy’s request, the rider took off, knocking the deputy down.
The passenger fell from the motorcycle as the rider fled, leaving him with a fairly significant problem behind him. The motorcyclist didn’t get far and circled back to the deputy.
The Footage
In the body camera footage, you can see the rider and his passenger both on the motorcycle as the deputy tries to perform a traffic stop. The deputy gets out of his car and walks up to the motorcycle, but the driver takes off, knocking down the deputy in the process.
That decision ended the chase rather quickly. The driver circled back, and the deputy arrested the rider, identified as 51-year-old Thomas Wright, following the incident. While being detained, Wright said, “You spooked me!” Wright also claimed he didn’t realize he threw the deputy to the ground in his attempt to escape.
The post did not say how fast Wright was moving before the traffic stop. The sheriff’s office also did not say whether the deputy or the passenger was injured.
Two Felonies
Wright now faces two felony charges stemming from the encounter.
He has been charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon and fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer. What began as a routine traffic stop escalated after Wright refused to stop.
The incident also drew plenty of attention in the comments on the sheriff’s Facebook post, with some commenters focusing on the unusual decision to return for the passenger after fleeing. Others pointed out that Wright turned what could have been a simple speeding ticket into a much larger legal problem.
At Least He Came Back
The circumstances made for an unusual sequence: flee from a deputy, lose the passenger, then return to where it all started.
For Wright, however, coming back did not undo the alleged flight or the collision with the deputy. He was arrested and now faces the two charges connected to the incident.
As with any criminal case, the charges are allegations, and Wright is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.