UPDATE
Boca Raton Police have released dashcam and body-worn camera video showing the moment a silver Toyota sedan sideswiped a marked patrol SUV during a traffic stop on Military Trail and kept going. The footage captures the impact, the officer’s reaction, and the follow-up contact with 73-year-old Michael Elliot Slate at his home on Sapphire Valley. The department provided the videos in response to a public records request, and the clips align with details previously outlined in the probable cause affidavit.
Originally reported by Boca Post
BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — A Boca Raton man is facing charges after police say he hit a patrol vehicle during a Saturday night traffic stop on Military Trail, then kept driving until he reached his home on Sapphire Valley. The incident happened shortly after 8 p.m. on November 21, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Boca Raton Police Department.
Officer Ganthier had pulled over a white Jeep Grand Cherokee near the far-right lane in front of 2200 West Yamato Road for a traffic violation. As the stop unfolded, a silver Toyota sedan approached in the eastbound lanes. The affidavit states the Toyota “swiped the driver’s door,” scraping across the front side of the marked patrol vehicle and causing disabling damage to the driver’s door. The driver of the Toyota never stopped, police wrote.
After broadcasting the hit-and-run over the radio, officers reviewed dash-camera video and were able to get a license plate number from the striking vehicle. The plate came back to a locally registered owner in the Sapphire Valley community. Officers were sent to the residence to check for the car and to speak with the owner.
When police knocked on the front door, a man identified as Michael Elliot Slate, 73, came outside. According to the affidavit, Slate told the officer, “I hit a car or someone hit me.” When asked whether he wanted to look at the damage on his vehicle, Slate allegedly walked over and stood beside the car.
Inside the supplemental report, the arresting officer wrote that Slate first claimed someone had pulled out in front of him near Clint Moore Road as he drove home from his girlfriend’s house. After being told the vehicle he hit was a police cruiser, Slate reportedly replied, “I knew that.” When asked why he drove away, the officer wrote that Slate said he “wasn’t quite sure what he hit,” contradicting his earlier statement.
Police noted expected damage on the front passenger side of Slate’s silver Toyota sedan, consistent with the impact shown on the patrol car’s footage. No injuries were reported at the scene.
Slate was arrested on a charge of Leaving the Scene of an Accident Involving Damage under Florida Statute 316.061(1). He also received citations for careless driving and failure to move over for an emergency vehicle, according to the documents .
He was issued a notice to appear in South County Courthouse, 200 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, with a scheduled court date of December 15, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. His booking sheet lists a booking number of 2025031350.
The affidavit notes that Slate was read his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with police. No additional charges were listed in the filing.
According to Palm Beach County jail records, Slate was booked into the county jail at 1:10 a.m. on November 22, 2025. Slate was held on a Hit and Run – Leave Scene of Crash Involving Damage to Property charge under F.S. 316.061(1). Records show he initially had a $250 bond, which was later listed as $10,000. He was released later that evening at 8:30 p.m.
