OCALA, Fla. — A wanted suspect, who was on the radar of police officials for a long time, was apprehended after he led officers into a dangerous nightly vehicle pursuit with his lights of.
To his bad luck, he did not realize there was an eye in the sky, watching his every move.
The video footage shows the chase between the suspect and the police officials, recorded by the aircrew in Ocala, Florida, on March 18.
“The suspect was spotted over speeding. After multiple warnings by us, he was finally apprehended,” said the police officials.
The incident started when the suspect, identified as Alexander Stetz, 26-year-old, was spotted speeding past a Florida Highway Patrol trooper and Deputy Josh Beccue from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. They were on the scene of a traffic accident.
When they attempted to stop him, Stetz disregarded their orders and sped away, leading the officers into a lengthy pursuit across the dark streets in the area.
“At one point, Stetz even turned off his lights hoping that the officers would lose track of him, but unfortunately for him, MCSO’s Air One Helicopter crew was up in the sky, following his every move,” as per officials.
The aircrews communicated directions to the ground officers. They led them straight to the suspect, who eventually pulled over the side of the road and started running on foot.
It took him a few moments to realize his idea was not so bright, and he finally surrendered.
The areal footage, shared by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MSCO) on March 25, shows Stetz stopping and putting his hands up as the officers approach him and arrest him with no further incident.
Officials found a container with undefined amounts of Methamphetamine and a used hypodermic needle upon searching the suspect’s car.
Stetz was charged with multiple charges like Flee/Elude, Possession of Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Unregistered Motor vehicle, Driving While License Cancelled Suspended or Revoked.
Apart from these, his previous warrants for resisting arrest and failure to appear for methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal mischief, and driving while his license suspended were re-imposed.
However, he was jailed with no bond, and the investigation is ongoing.
The United States is one of the busiest countries with the maximum number of traffic-related fatalities.
Speeding is a significant factor in traffic deaths and injuries. Excessive speeding reduces the amount of time the driver has to react to avoid any mishappenings.
Speeding played a vital role in 26 percent of traffic fatalities in 2018, killing 9,378, or an average of over 25 people per day.
The data shows the number of speeding-related fatalities in the U.S from 2006-2018. In 2018, the fatalities reduced by 6 percent as compared to 2017.
(Edited by Pallavi Mehra and Vaibhav Vishwanath Pawar.)
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