Woman charged with attempted murder after man run over on SR-520, deputies say

Man clings to hood of vehicle speeding down the road in Cocoa

A man was caught on camera clinging to the hood of a car while it drove down SR 520 in Cocoa. FOX 35's Esther Bower shares the exclusive video. Police say the incident started as a domestic dispute in the Wawa parking lot and quickly escalated.

COCOA, Fla - A woman is facing attempted murder and other charges after deputies say she struck and ran over her significant other during a reckless drive on State Road 520 Tuesday morning.

What we know:

Deputies say a 43-year-old Illinois woman struck and ran over her significant other during a reckless drive Tuesday morning on State Road 520 in Cocoa.

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said Dugblis Rojas Jimenez is charged with attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, reckless driving with serious bodily injury, and leaving the scene of a crash.

The incident began around 8:15 a.m. when dispatchers received multiple 911 calls about a vehicle being driven recklessly with a man clinging to the hood. Investigators said the dispute started as a verbal argument at a gas station at SR-520 and Fiske Boulevard. Jimenez allegedly drove off with the man on the hood, headed eastbound, then turned westbound while weaving across lanes at high speed.

At one point, deputies said, she struck another vehicle. The man eventually fell from the hood and was run over before the car crashed into a roadside sign and came to a stop.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX LOCAL APP

The victim was airlifted to a hospital and remains in critical condition. Jimenez was treated for minor injuries, released, and later booked into custody.

Several traffic lanes were closed down on SR 520 near Fiske Boulevard on Tuesday morning while Cocoa police investigated.

What we don't know:

Authorities have not released the victim’s identity or said whether the argument at the gas station involved any prior history of violence between the two. It’s unclear what the relationship is between the man and the woman. We also don’t know what sparked the argument and why the man jumped on the vehicle in the first place.

What they're saying:

Deputies said in a statement that detectives collected enough physical evidence and witness accounts to establish probable cause for Jimenez’s arrest.

"This is a main strip of road from Cocoa to Merritt Island, so it was just really scary," said Stephanie Blake, who saw the accident after dropping her kids off at school.

"I just heard the crash and screeching, and I saw the car out of control," Michelle Laroe who heard the accident and saw crash being cleaned-up.

Cocoa police are still actively investigating what caused the incident.

"Both are in the hospital. The man was airlifted. He’s in critical condition with head injuries. She was also taken to the hospital by ambulance," said Yvonne Martinez who’s the public information officer for Cocoa PD.

SIGN-UP FOR FOX 35'S BREAKING NEWS, DAILY NEWS NEWSLETTERS