A stick shift, a nondriver, a TIA order to move - then a crash
By MARCUS FRANKLIN
Published April 16, 2004
TAMPA - Carmelo Cordero III was in the passenger seat of a car parked outside Tampa International Airport when a uniformed traffic specialist walked up.
He told Cordero, 29, to move the Honda Civic from the pickup lane so others could pass. Cordero told him he didn't have a driver's license. Besides, he said, the car had a manual transmission and he didn't know how to shift.
But the officer insisted, Cordero told airport police in a written statement. So with Cordero behind the wheel, the car lurched forward, hit two cars and knocked a 73-year-old woman to the ground.
"The kid was freaked out about hitting that woman," said Jacqueline J. Lindsey, 43, who saw the incident. "He was crying. He kept saying, "I could've killed someone. I told the guy I couldn't drive a clutch.' "
Ricky D. Murray, the 40-year-old traffic specialist who talked with Cordero during Tuesday's incident, disputes his version. But in a statement he gave to police, Murray said he "assisted . . . by reaching inside and placing the car gear shift in neutral."
That is a violation of department policy, said Tampa Airport Police Chief Paul Sireci.
On Thursday, the department placed Murray on administrative leave as it conducted a followup accident investigation and an internal review. Both should be completed within two weeks, Sireci said.
"The issue we're going to resolve is whether the man clearly stated whether he was unable to drive the vehicle and unlicensed," Sireci said. "If the man said, "I can't drive' ... then he shouldn't have been put in the position where he had to move the car. We would have towed it."
Beverly King, 73, of Tampa was standing on a crosswalk with her son and daughter-in-law when the Honda knocked her down. She sustained minor injuries to her shin, elbow and wrist, and was treated at the scene, police said.
King's son, Jeffrey B. King, said relatives took his mother to the hospital and found she had contusions to her back and tailbone. She was treated and released, the son said.
The Honda rolled to a stop after hitting a limousine and Nissan Maxima. All three vehicles sustained damage but were operable, police said. Police cited the Honda's owner, Francisco Figueroa, 30, of Spring Hill for having no proof of insurance.
Figueroa and Cordero, also of Spring Hill, did not return messages left by the Times. Police confirmed Cordero has no driver's license. Cordero could face charges if the investigation concludes he failed to tell the traffic specialist about his driving status, the chief said.
Murray, who didn't return messages left at his job and Riverview home, joined the department in December 2001. No reprimands or indications of disciplinary action are in his personnel file, Sireci said.
The chief said he will determine what, if any, corrective action will be taken against Murray after the investigations. Murray could be fired or required to undergo more training. "He's pretty shook up," the chief said of Murray, who is not a sworn officer.
Witnesses said Cordero was shaken up when he was told to move the car. Cordero said he was waiting for the driver, who was inside the airport to greet relatives.
Jeffrey King said Murray yelled repeatedly at Cordero to move the car, threatening to tow it. "This young man said, "I can't drive. I don't have a license,' " King said. "He must have said it five times: "I can't drive a stick shift.'
"His arms were locked out straight and his eyes were as big as saucers. He had no idea what to do. This man was petrified."
- Staff writer Jean Heller contributed to this report. Marcus Franklin can be reached at mfranklin@sptimes.com or 727 893-8488.
