Police Arrest Stolen Car Suspect After Prolonged Chase

Driver Shot At By Fort Myers Officer During Flight

A man was taken into custody after leading deputies on a chase through the streets of Fort Myers, police officials report. According to authorities connected with the case, the incident began when officers noticed the man behaving suspiciously and ran his plates, identifying the car as being stolen.

It all started, police told reporters, when they ran a plate check on a white Dodge Spirit at the intersection of Treeline Avenue and Daniels Parkway. When the database returned a red flag indicating that the vehicle had been reported stolen, the Lee County Sheriff's deputy attempted to pull the driver over. The suspect took off after seeing the police lights, and allegedly tried to ram the deputy's Cruiser with his stolen car.

More deputies responded to the distress call and chase began. Police have refused to report how fast the driver and his pursuers traveled during the incident. They attempted to disable the driver's car utilizing what is known as a PIT maneuver, wherein the officer bumps the suspect's vehicle and forced it to spin out of control.

Pursuit Ends In Collision After Suspect Evades Traffic Spikes

Successfully stopping the driver with their PIT maneuver, the deputies got out of their car and approached the vehicle. The suspect began to flee again, causing one of the officers to open fire. He missed the driver, however, and the chase began again.

Additional law enforcement agents prepared a trap for the fleeing suspect, placing spikes on the road in an attempt to slow him down. The spikes were placed to early, however, and ended up blowing out the tires of two other drivers on the road. The suspect saw the trap and tried to make a U-turn, losing control and crashing into a fire hydrant.

Deputies say they were able to apprehend the man with a taser as he tried to flee on foot. He has been taken into custody, and officials say they are charging him with six felony counts, including vehicle theft, fleeing at high speed, and assault on a police officer. Reports indicate that the man has a previous record of criminal offenses, which will only add to his potential sentence.

Criminal Defense You Can Rely On

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