Somewhere, the screenwriters for Sharknado are scoffing at the implausibility of this plot twist. Reality is stranger than fiction:
George Zimmerman, who has been in hiding since he was acquitted of murder in the death of Trayvon Martin, emerged to help rescue someone who was trapped in an overturned truck, police said today. Sanford Police Department Capt. Jim McAuliffe told ABC News that Zimmerman "pulled an individual from a truck that had rolled over" at the intersection of a Florida highway last week. Florida Highway Patrol is now handling the case, McAuliffe said. The crash occurred at the intersection of I-4 and route 417, police said. The crash site is less than a mile from where he shot Martin. It's the first known sighting of Zimmerman since he left the courtroom following his acquittal last week on murder charges for the death of Martin.
Breitbart's Kerry Picket has more details on the accident:
On Wednesday, July 17 at about 5:45 PM Sanford Police responded to a single car accident in the area of I- 4 and State Road 46 in Sanford. A blue Ford Explorer SUV traveled off the road and rolled over. There were four occupants inside the vehicle, two parents and two children. The deputy reported, when he arrived on the scene that one of the two men there was George Zimmerman. According to Sanford Police, Zimmerman had a fire extinguisher and helped assist the family to get them out of the vehicle. "Zimmerman was not a witness to the crash, which was why he was not referenced in the police report," a Sanford Police spokeswoman told Breitbart News. "He left after making contact with the deputy. There were no reports of injuries of any of the vehicle's occupants," she said. An eyewitness to the accident told Breitbart News that people on the scene recognized Zimmerman and thanked him for his help before he left.
Getting out of his car was the right move this time. Speaking of which, a new poll reveals that public opinion is split down the middle on whether the Zimmerman jury reached an appropriate verdict. Whereas Rasmussen showed a plurality in favor of the "not guilty" resolution last week, WaPo/ABC News' fresh survey produces a 41/41 split, with fully 86 percent of African-Americans disapproving of the outcome. Whites favor the verdict (51/31), while half of Hispanics oppose it (the other half are divided between supporting the verdict, and having no opinion). Beyond racial factors, young people, women, Democrats and less educated people are most likely to reject the trial's result, whereas older voters, men, independents, Republicans, and college graduates are inclined to approve. On the separate question of whether Zimmerman's fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin was justified, a 40 percent plurality say 'no;' just 26 percent answer in the affirmative, and roughly one-third of respondents say they don't have enough information to decide. This data point suggests that many people believe Zimmerman bears at least some moral responsibility for Martin's death -- and perhaps could have avoided using lethal force -- even though he's not legally guilty of the charges brought by the state. (This happens to be my view). Some people may object to the wording of the "justified or not" question, which accurately describes Martin as an unarmed teenager -- but fails to mention the physical altercation that left Zimmerman bloodied. A key witness in the case, Martin's friend Rachel Jeantel, has expressed her belief that the fateful fight was initiated by Martin. Finally, the poll finds that only 39 percent of respondents say the federal government should pursue additional charges against the acquitted shooter, while 46 percent believe the feds should stay out of the case. I'll leave you with this:
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Q: On another subject, do you think blacks and other minorities receive equal treatment as whites in the criminal justice system or not?
Yes, receive equal treatment: 45 percent
No, do not receive equal treatment: 50 percent
Is this question in reference to the treatment Trayvon Martin, an African-American, or George Zimmerman, who is Hispanic?
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