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Man lying in street injured by police cruiser in St. Petersburg

 
Published May 20, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG — A police officer drove over a man lying in the street at Lake Maggiore Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street S early Wednesday, authorities said.

Officer Nicholas Lazzari, 46, was in a marked cruiser driving to a scene where police had recovered a stolen vehicle. It was a non-emergency call. As he turned right onto Lake Maggiore Boulevard S, Lazzari struck 67-year-old Mark F. Duffy, who was lying in the street, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department.

Duffy had been reported missing from The Wirick, an assisted living facility on 4th Street N, authorities said. Investigators did not know Wednesday why he was in the road.

Police said Duffy is small and was wearing dark clothing. He is in serious condition at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. Lazzari dragged the man a short distance under the cruiser, according to police. When he discovered Duffy at the back of the patrol car, he called rescue.

Traffic homicide detectives are investigating the case, according to police. No further information was immediately available.