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LAW ENFORCEMENT SPOTLIGHT: ‘LAST LINE OF DEFENSE’ SAVES RUNNERS
L.E. SPOTLIGHT
A Florida highway trooper used her patrol vehicle to stop an alleged drunk driver headed toward footracers.
STORY BY NICK PERNA PHOTOS COURTESY OF FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL
In sports it’s called “taking one for the team.” Stepping in front of a pitch in baseball to get a runner on base, or catching a pass across the flat knowing that some linebacker is about to knock the taste out of your mouth. It’s all part of the game. Failing to do so can cause a team to lose, so it’s understood that players need to do these things for the benefit of the rest of the team.
In law enforcement, the stakes are higher. The “team” that o cers are taking one for can be their fellow cops or it can be the public in general. And the “taking one” aspect can mean taking a punch, a kick, or even a bullet. Not taking one can lead to innocent lives being lost. ON THE MORNING of Sunday, March 6, 2022, Florida Highway Patrol trooper Toni Schuck was on duty in Manatee County, on the south side of Tampa Bay. This was a special day in the county, as it was the scene of a major footrace, the Skyway 10k. The event had attracted thousands of runners.
In support of the event, many of the roads had been closed and blocked o so runners could safely traverse the streets. At around 8:45 a.m., a drunk driver drove through a toll plaza on the Skyway Bridge that had been closed for the event. FHP Sergeant Steve Gaskins observed this and radioed other troopers, advising them of the threat. The vehicle was heading at a high rate of speed toward the runners.
Any cop will tell you that a vehicle is a weapon – a large, dangerous one. When a driver operates one recklessly and/or while impaired, they are very hard to stop.
That’s when Trooper Schuck took one for the team.
Schuck and her vehicle were the last obstacles between the careless drunk driver and the unsuspecting, unprotected runners. She positioned her patrol car in the oncoming path of the rapidly approaching suspect vehicle. The suspect tried at the last second to drive around the patrol car, but Schuck intentionally drove her vehicle at the suspect’s vehicle so as to stop it from going any further. The suspect vehicle crashed into Schuck’s patrol car. The collision was significant.
The suspect’s vehicle was severely damaged and no longer drivable, ending the threat to the runners. The driver, 52-year-old Kristen Watts, allegedly had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit. She was charged with DUI causing serious bodily injury, DUI with damage to property or person, and reckless driving with damage to property or a person.
Trooper Schuck was pretty badly banged up in the crash and is still recovering. The 47-year-old trooper is a 26-year FHP vet with two daughters.
To honor her bravery, Manatee County proclaimed March 22, 2022, “Trooper Toni Schuck Day.” Trooper Schuck’s response: “Thank you for recognizing me for what I did this morning. I’m glad that it was me and nobody else got hurt.”
Spoken like a true team player.
Trooper Toni Schuck was heralded as the “last line of defense” for stopping a drunk driver headed toward a major footrace. Dashcam image of the suspect vehicle about to strike Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Toni Schuck’s patrol vehicle.
Editor’s note: Author Nick Perna is a sergeant with the Redwood City Police Department in northern California. He is a frequent contributor to print and online forums on topics related to law enforcement, firearms, tactics and veterans issues.
