A Florida Highway Patrol troopers used their cruisers to stop a trio of suspects accused of tossing away weapons during a high-speed chase Wednesday as they fled authorities on their way to allegedly sell a kilo of cocaine.
The incident began when a Broward County Sheriff's Office helicopter spotted a pickup truck that was speeding and driving recklessly along the Florida Turnpike, WPLG-TV reports. The truck began passing vehicles on the shoulder when a highway patrol trooper performed two PIT maneuvers to try to disable the vehicle. The maneuvers were unsuccessful, and the trooper suffered a flat tire.
Footage from the helicopter and a dashboard camera captured guns and a yellow-and-black bag being thrown from the truck. Troopers were finally able to stop the truck with a PIT maneuver, and the three men inside the vehicle were taken into custody.
Multiple firearms, including a Glock 20, a Glock 29 with 10 rounds and a Ruger LCP .380 with four rounds, were disovered during a search. A kilo of cocaine also was found.
One of the suspects told investigators that they had been headed to meet a buyer for the cocaine before the chase began. The suspect admitted that they were looking to sell the cocaine for $20,000.
The suspects face multiple felony charges, including armed cocaine trafficking. The Plantation Police Department and the DEA participated in the chase and arrests, along with the Broward County Sheriff's Office and Florida Highway Patrol.
