TAMARAC, Fla. – A driver took off his shoes and jumped into a canal Wednesday afternoon after leading authorities on a tri-county chase that ended in Broward County.
The chase began in North Miami following a strong-armed robbery, went up to Boca Raton and then down to Broward, officials said.
An aerial video shows a man with a long gun getting into a white Tesla that proceeds to speed down the Turnpike.
Sky 10 was above the area of Commercial Boulevard and Rock Island Road in Tamarac around 2:15 p.m. as what appeared to be an undercover officer’s pickup truck crashed into the side of the Tesla.
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, authorities had first chased the driver in a stolen Lexus.
“(O)ccupants in the stolen vehicle attempted to carjack a vehicle at gunpoint in Broward County,” a BSO spokesperson said. “A short time later, an occupant of the vehicle carried out an armed carjacking on another vehicle (the Tesla) on Commercial Boulevard in Tamarac.”
Law enforcement officers than “crashed into that vehicle to render it inoperable,” and the two men got out of the Tesla and ran, according to BSO.
A deputy was seen pointing a gun at the driver, but he took off running before removing his shoes and jumping into a canal.
The man appeared to be out of breath after the short swim, taking a moment to pause before running through nearby backyards.
The driver then sought refuge in the garage of a nearby home.
Inside was 71-year-old Gisela Taveras, a seamstress who sews in her garage.
In Spanish, she told Local 10 News she was terrified, leaving her home and flagging down police officers after the suspect ran inside.
Taveras said the soaking wet suspect went into her kitchen and helped himself to a drink from her refrigerator.
Deputies had their guns drawn just outside it before taking the suspect into custody shortly after 2:30 p.m. as Taveras took shelter in a neighbor’s home.
The other suspect who fled from the vehicle was also taken into custody.
A BSO spokesperson said both suspects would face felony charges.