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Florida man fatally struck bicyclist, dragged bike down highway, troopers say

RIVERVIEW, Fla. — A Florida man is accused of fatally running down a bicyclist on Saturday and then driving off, dragging the bicycle for more than two miles, authorities said.

Brian Gregory Laxton, 24, of Riverview, was charged with DUI manslaughter and leaving the scene of a crash, according to Hillsborough County online jail records.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash occurred at 2:58 a.m., the Tampa Bay Times reported. Laxton was driving an SUV southbound on U.S. 41 in Riverview when he overtook and collided with the bicyclist, who was also traveling south, WTVT reported.

The impact of the collision threw the bicyclist to the sidewalk. He died at the scene, the Times reported.

According to troopers, Laxton left the scene, dragging the bicycle about 2 1/2 miles before he was pulled over, the newspaper reported.

Laxton was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where a breath test estimated his blood-alcohol-content level at 0.130 and 0.128, the Times reported.

The legal limit in Florida is 0.08.