A high-speed chase ended in cuffs and chaos Thursday when a robbery suspect slammed a rented U-Haul into a West Palm Beach police cruiser, injuring a cop in the crash, authorities said. Mike Jachles, a spokesman for the West Palm Beach Police Department, informed WFLX that the initial robbery report came from a Boost Mobile on South Dixie Highway shortly before the morning clock struck 10.
The suspect, later identified as 26-year-old Datavious Manuel, was spotted at around 1:30 p.m. by detectives; he led them on a pursuit down South Broadway before colliding with the law enforcement vehicle that had been stationed on North Broadway, all these details according to police statements. The police vehicle, stationary at the time of the haphazard encounter, was driven by an officer who sustained minor injuries and needed medical evaluation at a local hospital, the name of the officer involved was not disclosed by the police department.
Post-crash, Manuel's attempted escape was halted as the U-Haul veered off the roadway, striking an inanimate street fixture — a stop sign or lamppost, though which hasn't been confirmed — and his subsequent apprehension was certain.
With Manuel now facing a slew of charges that include fleeing and eluding, battery on an officer, resisting arrest, and the initial robbery, law enforcement were able to swiftly ID the suspect due to a recent arrest last month tied to a carjacking event–these details were revealed by detectives in an interview given to WPTV.
