Pizza
Pizza Small Caesars
On Sunday, two Central Florida teenagers embarked on a wild ride that didn’t end well.
“What you should do: get a driver’s license, buy your own vehicle and take a Sunday drive,” said a Facebook post from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. “What not to do: steal a vehicle, drive it without a license and run away from the police. Can you guess what these two did?
The message goes on to say that the agency has received information that a pizza delivery driver’s car, which was stolen in Gainesville, in neighboring Alachua County, may be in the area.
A deputy located the vehicle and attempted to carry out a traffic stop. The driver, a 16-year-old, refused to stop and a chase ensued, which was caught on dash cam.
The young driver is seen briefly leaving the road in a ditch before driving off at high speed. When the teenager attempted to get on Interstate 75 northbound, the deputy disabled the vehicle by performing a PIT maneuver (Precision Immobilization Technique, which means the pursuing officer used his bumper front to dent the suspect’s rear bumper, causing the car to spin and stop).
During a search of the vehicle, two pizzas were found in the back seat. It’s unclear what type they were, though the pies probably weren’t in the best shape after the chase.
The young driver and his 17-year-old passenger were both arrested.
The 16-year-old was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, without a valid driver’s license and fleeing from a law enforcement officer. The other child was charged with grand larceny of a motor vehicle.
The teenagers were eventually transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice for safe custody.
Commenters appreciated the deputy’s quick-wittedness and driving skills, but one social media user couldn’t help but crack a joke: “Great job, but I would have accused them of stealing the pizzas.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2022 11:20 a.m.
