Collier County deputy who stopped driver in deadly I-75 crash involved in prior Maryland shooting

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. —

Collier County Deputy Eric Pellegrino is under investigation after pulling over Genise Taylor last Wednesday at 2:30 a.m., who later crashed into two cars, killing 96-year-old Arthur Gilbert and injuring another driver.

Pellegrino returned a call from Gulf Coast News earlier this afternoon, stating he is unable to answer questions at this time. Pellegrino was calm during the call and assured us he was not ignoring the inquiry, but declined to comment on Taylor.

Pellegrino has been with the Collier County Sheriff's Office since 2024, and previously worked at the Baltimore County Police Department from 2021 to 2023. Footage from Pellegrino's 2022 police academy graduation in Baltimore, Maryland, was shown, along with bodycam video from May 4, 2022, when Pellegrino and another officer shot and killed a man who lunged at them with a knife and carving fork. Prosecutors did not charge the officers involved in the incident.

The Collier County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that Pellegrino is not on administrative leave following the I-75 wrong-way crash involving Taylor. During a jail call presented at her pretrial detention hearing, Taylor admitted she knew Pellegrino, and he let her go. The sheriff's office has not confirmed whether Pellegrino noticed any signs of intoxication or if his bodycam was active during the traffic stop.

When reached out to, the Collier County Sheriff's Office did not provide a timeline for the internal investigation into Pellegrino, and the body, dash cam, and communication calls are currently unavailable to the public. The sheriff has declined to give an interview.

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