A Florida Highway Patrol trooper is on the mend after a routine traffic stop turned into a perilous high-speed chase on I-95 yesterday. The chase, which spanned Volusia and Brevard Counties, saw speeds hitting 130 miles per hour before a tactical police maneuver was used to halt the pursuit. According to WFTV, the driver at the heart of the incident, Sundara Garza, was arrested after the chase and is expected to face a judge today. Her passenger, Yazmin Barber, with warrants already out for her arrest, is now in jail.
In a twist of events resulting from the chase, one trooper was badly injured after being involved in a crash and, waking up at the hospital, was talking and conscious. Flying at speeds that a witness described to WESH as "at least 100" mph before the crash, the suspect's vehicle and a patrol car struck a guardrail during the pursuit. Southbound lanes on the highway were reopened yesterday afternoon, around 1:30 p.m., following the disturbances caused by the chase and subsequent accident.
The chase began when the troopers attempted to stop a vehicle that was swerving and speeding down the interstate in Volusia County. But the vehicle then led law enforcement on a harrowing chase into Titusville, according to information from Florida Highway Patrol reported by WESH.
The Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver, deployed to end the chase, is a practiced law enforcement tactic to ensure the safety of both the officers in pursuit and civilians in the vicinity. After the PIT was executed, Garza was taken into custody, facing several charges, including reckless driving and driving with a suspended license, per the arrest affidavit, which cited speeds of up to 140 mph. Meanwhile, Barber's pre-existing warrants warrant her arrest, and now both await further proceedings.
