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BREVARD COUNTY, Fla.
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A car chase suspect was behind bars Thursday morning after she lead Brevard County deputies and Cocoa police on a chase from Cocoa to Merritt Island.
The entire chase was caught on a camera in the Brevard County sheriff's helicopter. The chase began at McFarland park with a traffic stop.
While 37-year-old Laura Stark was being pulled over by Cocoa police, she tried to hit an officer before the dramatic chase began. The Brevard County Sheriff's Office aviation unit's infra-red cameras captured the entire chase.
"I got a good picture," said the chopper pilot over the communication system.
After police used stop sticks, the sparks started flying as Stark's tires were shredding off and the she made her way to the end of the street near Athens and Sixth.
"Dead end street guys. Dead end street," the pilot said.
The chopper pilot spotted something coming out of the passenger side just before Stark took off on foot.
"Driver is off behind house, behind the fence," he said, guiding deputies and police into position.
Then, the fleeing Stark jumped into the water of Sykes Creek and tried to swim away. An officer took off his equipment on the shore before he jumped in after her.
Then, what looked like a dot in the water on the infra-red camera was Stark, followed by what appeared to be another dot which was the officer could be seen as he swam after the her and ended up at a dock.
"Okay, did he end up in the dock? I didn't see him," the pilot asked.
Multiple officers were at the dock, waiting for Stark before they arrested him. Deputies and police were working to find the identity of the suspect and figure out why she ran from police.
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