4 Arrested In Polk County Following High-Speed Chase

TAMPA, FL – Four men are in Tampa Police custody following an early morning car chase from St. Petersburg to Polk County.

At 3:14 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, Tampa Police responded to a burglary alarm at an AT&T store at 2730 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa.

The alarm company told police that a security camera indicated a front window had been shattered and that a number of men who drove up in a Chevy Equinox were breaking into the store.

When Tampa Police officers arrived at the scene, the suspected burglars hopped into the Chevy and fled northbound on Lois Avenue, then entered the southbound entrance ramp of Interstate 275. Officers attempted to pull the Chevy over but the driver accelerated and police continued the chase into St. Petersburg. There, the driver evaded police, making a U-turn and heading back to Tampa. The Chevy made its way to Interstate 4 where Tampa Police Air Service tracked it into Polk County. There, police used a standard pursuit maneuver to force the fleeing car to turn sideways, causing the drive to lose control and stop.

The driver left the car and fled across Interstate 4 but the four passengers were taken into custody. A search by a Tampa Police K9 unit, the Polk County Sheriff's Office and the Lakeland Police Department failed to locate the driver.

Inside the Chevy Equinox, which had been stolen in Apopka, police found two handguns, one of which was stolen in Volusia County. They also found the piece of concrete used to smash the window of the AT&T store.

Charged with burglary and grand theft were Jamal Lafortune, 24, of Orlando; Kris Jimmell Leon Hooks, 20, of Orlando; Stevenson Pierre, 18, of Orlando; and a 16-year-old juvenile.

Photo via Pixabay: Photographer Geralt