A 27-year-old woman is under arrest after deputies say she tried to flee in a stolen SUV, nearly struck one of them, and then slammed the vehicle into a patrol car during a pursuit through Tampa on Tuesday morning. Jessica Johnson now faces several charges stemming from the chase, which ended with a PIT maneuver near North 37th Street and Cambridge Woods Drive.
According to WFLA, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Real Time Crime Center flagged a vehicle Tuesday morning that the Tampa Police Department had already reported stolen. That tip sent deputies to a business complex at 1509 East Fletcher Avenue, where they found the SUV parked.
Deputies Try to Box In the SUV
Deputies attempted to box in the vehicle to take the suspect into custody, according to sheriff's office video cited in the station's report. Johnson refused to comply and instead fled from deputies, setting off a pursuit through the area. The sheriff's office said the incident involved an attempt to evade arrest.
During the chase, deputies say Johnson nearly struck a deputy while fleeing, a detail the sheriff's office emphasized in describing how close the encounter came to turning worse. She also struck a patrol car while trying to get away, the agency said.
PIT Maneuver Ends the Chase
Deputies ultimately conducted a PIT maneuver on the vehicle near North 37th Street and Cambridge Woods Drive, bringing the pursuit to an end and leading to Johnson's arrest. The station's report does not specify the exact charges Johnson now faces, though it notes she faces several.
Fleeing or eluding a law enforcement officer in Florida is generally charged as a third-degree felony, according to Florida Statutes, Section 316.1935. The law escalates to a second-degree felony when a driver operates at high speed or in a manner showing wanton disregard for the safety of people or property, and it classifies fleeing that causes injury or property damage as aggravated fleeing or eluding, also a second-degree felony. A conviction under the statute also requires a court to revoke the driver's license for a minimum of one year, up to five years.
Part of a Broader Pattern on Florida Roads
Tuesday's incident fits a pattern of stolen-vehicle chases that have played out across the state this year. In Pinellas County, a 19-year-old woman was accused of fleeing in a stolen car on I-275 before troopers used a PIT maneuver to stop her, according to WTSP. In Lee County, a stolen Toyota Camry led Florida Highway Patrol on a multi-county chase that reached 115 mph before troopers ended it the same way, per WBBH / Gulf Coast News Now. And in St. Johns County, deputies arrested two teens after a stolen truck led them on what News4JAX described as a reckless chase near International Golf Parkway that also ended in a PIT maneuver.
