FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Newly released dashcam video shows a brief, chaotic pursuit by Florida Highway Patrol troopers in Lauderhill that ended with a PIT maneuver and the arrest of three men.
FHP said a Drug Enforcement Administration agent was conducting surveillance on one of the people inside a black Chevy Silverado on the Florida Turnpike, near Commercial Boulevard, at around 4:30 p.m., Wednesday.
Investigators said the agent called FHP for backup to pull the truck over. When they tried conducting the traffic stop, the truck did not stop.
The driver of the truck tried to outrun troopers in the middle of rush hour traffic but was unsuccessful.
After a few PIT maneuvers conducted by FHP troopers, the Silverado came to a stop.
Troopers with their guns drawn told the three occupants to get out of the truck and to throw themselves on the ground.
It was a scene captured by passers-by on cellphone video, as Broward County Aviation followed the pursuit from above.
According to the arrest report, authorities “were able to capture as the occupants of the Silverado began to discard items out the front passenger window.”
Those items included more than a kilogram of cocaine, two Glocks and a handgun.
Detectives identified the suspects as 26-year-old Vincent Barbosa, 33-year-old Tramain Reed and 30-year-old Julian Montes.
Investigators said Montes was the driver. He appeared in court on Thursday, where he received no bond.
“On count 1, you’re charged with armed trafficking cocaine,” said the presiding judge.
The arrest report states Barbosa admitted to detectives that the trio were on their way to sell a kilogram of cocaine to a buyer for $20,000 who was waiting for them to arrive. He also blamed his alleged accomplices for throwing the illegal items out of the truck.
All three suspects have extensive criminal histories, including multiple felonies. They remain behind bars.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.