Four suspects are in custody after shoplifting thousands of dollars worth of retail and leading police officers in a high-speed chase in a stolen U-Haul van that caused a massive traffic jam on Florida’s Turnpike. NBC6’s Jamie Guirola reports
Four suspects are in custody after shoplifting thousands of dollars worth of retail and leading police officers in a high-speed chase in a stolen U-Haul van that caused a massive traffic jam on Florida's Turnpike.
The whole ordeal started Thursday down south in Homestead and ended in northwest Miami-Dade.
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Here are the details of what led up to the wild pursuit.
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Before the chase, the suspects set out to a Kohl's in Homestead — Mekal Tarashi Wilson and Shuneka Oreatha Gordon walked through the store and acted as lookouts while Jermaal Calvin Stennett and Norbert Alphonso Baugh grabbed shopping carts, a police report said.
Concealing their identities with face masks, Stennett and Baugh started placing everything from sneakers to pants to socks inside the carts, police said. They stole about $2,500 worth of merchandise.
Police said the group had the U-Haul van parked at an emergency exit as the getaway — Stennett and Baugh left the store without paying and put the shopping carts with the merchandise in the van.
As the suspects tried to leave, a Homestead Police officer tried to stop them and ordered the suspects to get out of the van, but instead, the driver went into reverse and drove around the officer, police said. As they fled toward Northwest 23rd Avenue, the driver rammed into another officer's vehicle.
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The U-Haul then sped off and eventually got on the northbound Florida Turnpike.
FHP officials said the van reached speeds of up to 100 mph and dangerously changed lanes, following other vehicles too close.
The chase ended when FHP troopers were able to use three P.I.T. maneuvers on the van, sending it into the side wall of an overpass near Northwest 106th Street.
Footage from Chopper 6 shows troopers scrambling to the ledge of the overpass while a suspect dangles from the wall trying to flee arrest. A swarm of troopers rushed to the ledge to bring him to safety and took him into custody.
Three of the suspects are charged with retail theft. The U-Haul driver, Wilson, faces a lot more charges, including fleeing, battery, and reckless driving.
