Bank Robbery Arrest Made, Cop Released from Hospital

LARGO, FL — A Largo Police officer injured on the way to a bank robbery call Tuesday afternoon is out of the hospital while the accused robber is behind bars.

According to the Largo Police Department, the string of events began to unfold shortly before 2:30 p.m. Dec. 6 when the agency received a call about a robbery at the 10465 Ulmerton Road Regions Bank. A man, police said, walked into the bank and indicated he had a bomb.

Police located a man a short time later who fit the description witnesses had provided. That man, Michael Franklin Garrett, 50, has since been charged with armed robbery. Police have said they did not find any explosives.

While the bank robbery call was active, one of Largo's officers was heading east through the intersection of Ulmerton Road and Seminole Boulevard with lights and siren activated. At that time, the driver of a black Toyota Corolla heading north on Seminole failed to stop and "drove into the side of the marked police cruiser," an email from the agency said.

The crash initially sent the officer and a passenger from the Toyota to the hospital. The officer, who has not been identified, was later released, the agency said. The passenger remained hospitalized with what is believed to be non-life threatening injuries. The Toyota's driver also ended up seeking treatment for minor injuries, the police department reported Tuesday night.

The crash created a traffic snarl at the Ulmerton Road and Seminole Boulevard intersection. The intersection was cleared around 6 p.m.

No further information is being released at this time. It is unclear if a citation was issued.

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