A man who drove his car into a crowd of people in a downtown Orlando parking lot and then purposefully ran over another man on the ground, has been arrested and charged with three counts of attempted first degree murder.
January 1, 2010, shortly after 3:00 am, an OPD K-9 officer was flagged down by a witness who advised of a fight in the parking lot in the area of 390 N Orange Avenue. The witness advised that multiple subjects were involved in the fight.
According to witnesses, a subject driving a Nissan sedan drove into a crowd of people in the parking lot as the officer pulled up to the scene. Witnesses advised that several people were struck by the vehicle and one victim was knocked to the ground. The driver of the vehicle then drove in a circle and ran that victim over again, as he was lying on the ground.
The officer, who was in the parking lot as the incident was occurring, exited his vehicle and discharged his firearm, striking the suspect vehicle which then fled eastbound out of the lot. The vehicle was stopped at the intersection of Livingston and Magnolia and the suspect was taken into custody. The suspect was not struck by gunfire.
The victim, Richard Torres, 20 years, was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center and is in critical condition. His injuries are described as life threatening.
The suspect, Christopher Reed, 32 years, has been arrested and is being charged with 3 counts of Attempted First Degree Murder.
The Orlando Police are continuing with the investigation.
