A routine traffic stop in Florida turned into a terrifying fight for survival when a suspect allegedly hit the gas with a police officer still trapped inside his vehicle.

Body-camera footage captured the chaos as officers attempted to remove Donovan from the car after stopping him. Instead of complying, authorities say, he suddenly drove away—taking one female officer with him and dragging another officer across the pavement.

One officer can be heard urgently shouting the patrol unit number over the radio:

“He’s taking off Eustis 77 is in the car!”

That was the moment a routine stop became a potentially deadly encounter.

According to the police report, two officers approached Donovan after pulling him over and eventually ordered him to exit the vehicle. When he allegedly refused repeated commands, the officers opened the door and attempted to physically remove him.

The engine was still running.

Then Donovan allegedly accelerated.

The female officer was still inside the vehicle, pinned between the suspect and the steering wheel as the car sped away.

The second officer, who was also attempting to pull Donovan from the driver's seat, was dragged approximately 15 feet before being thrown onto the asphalt.

The police report described the officer tumbling across S. Eustis Street and “barrel rolling multiple times.”

He was injured and treated by medical personnel.

The female officer faced an even more frightening situation.

She remained trapped inside the moving vehicle for roughly the length of a football field before managing to eject herself. Another officer responding to the scene later found her lying in a nearby intersection.

She was also treated for injuries.

Meanwhile, Donovan disappeared.

Police launched a search that lasted approximately two hours before authorities finally apprehended him.

What began as a traffic stop had turned into a violent confrontation that put two officers in immediate danger.

Donovan now faces serious charges, including attempted murder of a police officer, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence, according to reports.

And the incident reportedly was not his first encounter with the criminal justice system.

Court records cited in the police report indicate Donovan was arrested in May on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He also faced burglary and battery charges in 2022, along with other arrests in Lake County.

The latest case will now move through the courts, where the charges against Donovan will be tested.

But the body-camera footage tells an unmistakable story about the danger officers can face in what begins as an ordinary roadside stop.

Police officers do not get to assume the person behind the wheel will cooperate. They have to make split-second decisions while knowing that a running vehicle, a resisting suspect and an unsecured scene can turn deadly in an instant.

In this case, two officers were injured simply trying to carry out an arrest.

And once again, a routine traffic stop became a reminder of the risks carried by the men and women who wear the badge every time they approach a driver's window.