Leesburg Man Arrested After Fleeing Eustis Valentine’s Day Crash and Critically Injuring Man in Second Crash  

EUSTIS, Florida—A man without a license who police say fled a chain-reaction crash he caused, ran two stop signs and then slammed into the side of a Ford Focus on Valentine’s Day is facing three charges related to the crashes, according to an arrest affidavit.

Gustavo Miguel Garcia, 29, of Leesburg was driving a white Ford flatbed pickup truck when he rear-ended a black Dodge SUV at Grove Street and Floral Avenue and fled the scene just before 6:20 p.m. Tuesday, witnesses told Eustis Police Department.

Gustavo Garcia PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office

The witnesses followed Garcia and he turned onto Wilt Avenue, and ran the stop sign at Eustis Street and then ran a second stop sign at Wilt Avenue and Bay Street, also known as State Road 19. When Garcia ran the second stop sign, he slammed into a silver Ford Focus being driven by David Thomas Cook. The crash critically injured Cook and he was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center. Cook’s condition was unknown at press time.

Garcia was found to have a suspended license and was taken into custody. He was arrested for reckless driving with serious bodily injury, driving with a suspended license causing serious bodily injury and leaving the scene of a crash. He was transported to the Lake County Jail and jail medical staff would not accept him until he was medically cleared. He was taken to AdventHealth Waterman, where he was cleared and transported back to LCJ. He was released Wednesday on $10,500 bond.

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