HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office arrested two vehicle burglary suspects on Sunday who rammed a deputy’s vehicle while trying to flee.
The two 17-year-old suspects were both charged with aggravated fleeing to allude. One was additionally charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon and grand theft of a motor vehicle.
At about 1:30 a.m., deputies, aviation, and K9 units responded to the report of two suspects burglarizing vehicles within the Paddock Club Apartment Complex.
The aviation unit observed the two suspects entering an unreported stolen vehicle and leaving the apartment complex.
Deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop as the suspects fled the parking lot, but they refused and intentionally struck a Sheriff’s Office vehicle, according to an agency press release. The vehicle then fled eastbound on Interstate 4 to Osceola County.
Multiple agencies, including the Florida Highway Patrol, Polk County Sheriff's Office, and the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, assisted in carefully pursuing the suspects. They stopped the vehicle at the 500 Royal Palm Drive area in Kissimmee and then fled on foot toward a residential area. Hillsborough K9 units tracked down one teen who was hiding under a blanket. The second suspect was found hiding in a shed nearby.
"Amidst the criminal and reckless actions of these two suspects, our deputies displayed unmatched professionalism and determination. Despite the deliberate strike on an HCSO deputy vehicle, our deputies’ commitment to the community's safety while apprehending the suspects never faltered," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "I am immensely proud of and thankful for our law enforcement partners for their seamless collaboration as these suspects fled across multiple jurisdictions.”
In total, six vehicle burglaries were reported.
The deputy who was struck did not sustain any injuries.
