Man arrested after allegedly hitting two cars with his truck, fleeing on foot, and then reporting his truck stolen

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Bryan Keith Baker, 61, was arrested early this morning after allegedly hitting two vehicles with his truck, fleeing on foot, and later calling 911 to report that the truck had been stolen.

At about 11:36 p.m. on November 20, Baker’s vehicle collided with another vehicle near the intersection of SW 16th Avenue and SW 13th Street and then continued rolling forward until it hit a second car; the driver got out of his vehicle and left on foot without exchanging contact information with the occupants of the other cars. A passenger in one of the cars reported a minor knee injury.

The responding Gainesville Police Department officer reported that a woman arrived who said she had been on the phone with Baker when the crash happened, and she had come to the area to look for him; she said he may have left the scene of the crash because he didn’t have a valid driver’s license.

At about 1:38 a.m., Baker reportedly called 911 to report that his truck had been stolen; an officer met with him, and Baker allegedly provided specific details about how the truck was stolen. The responding officer realized that the stolen vehicle matched the description of the truck that had been involved in the earlier crash, and the occupants of one of the cars reportedly identified Baker as the driver of the truck that hit them.

The officer read Baker his Miranda rights, and Baker reportedly denied being involved in a crash and said he’d been at work all day. He reportedly admitted that he didn’t have a valid driver’s license or insurance.

Baker has been charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving non-serious personal injury, making a false police report, and knowingly driving without a valid license. Baker has one felony conviction (non-violent) and one misdemeanor conviction (non-violent). Judge Kristine Van Vorst ordered him released on his own recognizance.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.