At approximately 7:43 p.m. on Sunday, July 9, 2023, the Clearwater Police Department (CPD) was alerted about a stolen Dodge Ram 1500 traveling westbound on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. This information was relayed to CPD officers, who spotted the vehicle on the Pinellas Side of the Causeway.
A helicopter was dispatched from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office to aid the pursuit. A trooper from the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) took up the chase and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. However, the driver of the stolen vehicle chose to evade the trooper’s instructions and continued driving.
During the pursuit, one of the troopers crashed their patrol vehicle at the intersection of Keene Road and Palmetto Street. Thankfully, no injuries were reported as a result of the collision.
Ultimately, the stolen vehicle was brought to a stop near the junction of Seminole Street and Jefferson Avenue N. It was discovered that four individuals, described as young teenagers, had fled from the vehicle. After a brief search operation, law enforcement successfully apprehended all four subjects.
The vehicle was stolen from a resort home in Kissimmee, FL. Resort guests reportedly went out for lunch around 1:15 pm. The house was broken into and personal items like an iPad, laptop, etc were stolen. Guests came back around 4 pm and reported the crime to law enforcement.
Video of the subjects taking the vehicle can be seen in video below.
As of now, no further details are available regarding this incident. FHP will be investigating the crash and circumstances surrounding the stolen vehicle. Due to the young age of the children involved, no names are expected to be released.
