A stolen box truck barreled through Tampa streets, swerved into oncoming traffic, blew through stop signs and red lights, and even rammed a Florida Highway Patrol cruiser before deputies finally wrenched the driver out through a smashed window near Ridge Avenue. The driver, identified as 35-year-old Alexei Perez Aramburo, now faces multiple charges following the pursuit, which stretched from Pasco County into the heart of Hillsborough County.
According to WFLA, troopers received a Be On The Lookout alert at 8:20 p.m. for a box truck stolen from the Largo Police Department. The stolen Ford F750 was soon spotted heading south on Interstate 75 near mile marker 276 in Pasco County, north of Tampa, setting off the chase that would wind through the city.
Once the pursuit reached Hillsborough County, the driver's speed reportedly varied between 55 and 70 mph as the truck weaved around traffic, the outlet reported. The vehicle also reportedly ran stop signs and red lights, drove into oncoming lanes, and swerved around spike strips laid out to stop it, according to the same report.
Cruiser Rammed as Officers Tried to Box In the Truck
Arrest papers cited by the station say the truck rammed the back of an FHP patrol car as law enforcement attempted to box it in. The dangerous maneuver came as troopers and deputies tried to bring the pursuit to a safe end, though the truck kept moving before finally slowing on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and stopping near Ridge Avenue.
Video released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office showed deputies surrounding the vehicle before smashing the driver's window, opening the door, and pulling the suspect out, per the station's report. The dramatic footage captured the final moments of a chase that had put drivers across Tampa at risk.
Driver Refused Sobriety Testing, Had Removal Order
At the jail, Perez Aramburo reportedly refused to answer questions or perform standardized field sobriety exercises, according to the same account. The outlet also reported that he had an Immigration and Customs Enforcement order for removal, resulting in a detainer being placed on him.
Per WFLA, Perez Aramburo was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated fleeing to elude, grand theft of a motor vehicle, resisting an officer without violence, driving under the influence, and refusal to submit to testing. Florida law classifies aggravated battery involving a deadly weapon as a second-degree felony, according to Florida Statutes Section 784.045.
A Dangerous Pattern on Florida Roads
Police pursuits carry real risk for everyone on the road, not just the people involved in them. Pursuit-related crashes killed 525 people nationwide in 2021, according to Newsready, a reminder of the stakes whenever a chase like this one unfolds through populated streets.
The stolen box truck's run through Tampa, with its swerves into oncoming traffic and a cruiser-ramming collision, fits into that troubling national picture. The pursuit ended as deputies closed in near Ridge Avenue and pulled Perez Aramburo from behind the wheel.
