Deputy injured by drunk driver

A 26-year-old Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Deputy was seriously injured Tuesday when a drunk driver struck his patrol car while he was walking between his car and another vehicle during a traffic stop on U.S. 1, temporarily pinning him between both vehicle

The incident occurred at approximately 11 p.m. near Mile Marker 87. Responding Deputies were able to free the injured Deputy. He was then airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami with injuries to his lower extremities, where he remained in stable condition Wednesday.

A 20-year-old Homestead, Florida man, Andrew James Gibson, whom the Deputy initially stopped, was taken to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier with non-life-threatening injuries. Gibson was later taken to jail on a warrant for failure to appear in court.

The driver who struck the Deputy’s patrol car — Alexandra Marlene Baraga, 26, of Shoreview, Minnesota — had a blood alcohol level of .310. The Florida Highway Patrol took Baraga to jail and charged her with multiple DUI-related crimes. She was not injured in the incident.

“This a difficult day for everyone at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. One of our brave Deputies has been seriously injured in the line of duty because of the thoughtless actions of a drunk driver.” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “For the cost of a taxi or rideshare, she jeopardized the lives of everyone on the road.”

The injured Deputy has been with the Sheriff’s Office since February 2022.

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