In a shocking incident that unfolded on November 3rd in Flagler County, Florida, a 76-year-old man was apprehended and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after he allegedly plowed his Porsche into a construction worker managing traffic. The incident occurred on Camino Del Mar Parkway, where roadwork had condensed the flow of traffic to a single lane.
The accused, identified as Donald Steemull from Ocala, was allegedly attempting to bypass the queue of vehicles and merge into the oncoming lane to avoid waiting his turn. According to investigators, Steemull deliberately steered his black Porsche Cayenne into the worker stationed at the lane merge.
Body camera footage captured the confrontation between Steemull and law enforcement officials. When questioned about the incident, Steemull denied striking the traffic worker. “He ran right up to the car and hit the front of the car,” Steemull can be heard saying in the video.
Body camera footage shows Steemull and the officer
Steemull went on to suggest that the worker might have leaned on the hood of his vehicle, causing the car to lurch forward. “He came right up to me, and I think he hit the car, and he said stop, and the car might have moved right there,” Steemull claimed.
However, the responding deputy refuted Steemull’s account, citing statements from multiple witnesses who corroborated the initial report of Steemull accelerating into the worker. “I have two witnesses also corroborating that story – that he had you stopped and then you revved your engine and went into them,” the deputy informed Steemull.
As the conversation escalated, Steemull accused the worker of fabricating the incident, possibly motivated by his luxury car. “Maybe somebody is looking – I’m driving a nice car – maybe taking advantage of the situation there,” Steemull speculated.
Steemull was driving a black Porsche Cayenne
The deputy was quick to dismiss Steemull’s theory, emphasizing the consistent accounts provided by independent witnesses. “I can see if he just claimed that we had no other witnesses, but I mean the other witnesses’ stories were almost exactly the same, and I spoke to them, you know, separately.”
Body camera footage reveals Steemull’s indignant reaction to his arrest. “Oh, you’re arresting me for some loony that is claiming I hit him with the car!” he exclaimed. Steemull further alleged that the worker “ran up, put his hood on the car, put his hands on the car,” and that other workers present were “swearing” and “cussing.”
Despite Steemull’s protestations, the gravity of the allegations and the corroborating witness testimonies led to his arrest. Steemull was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, a serious felony with potentially severe legal consequences.
The traffic worker involved in the incident sustained minor injuries as a result of the collision. Authorities are continuing their investigation into the matter.
