FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies took a driver into custody after he flashed a gun at the mayor of Deerfield Beach and led deputies on a chase that ended in a pit maneuver.
Deerfield Beach Mayor Bill Ganz said he was driving south on Powerline Road when he noticed the driver of a white sedan driving in erratic manner, shortly after noon, Thursday.
“I had an aggressive driver that blew past many of us, cutting people off, almost caused an accident,” he said.
Ganz said he called police.
“I was calling my chief of police to give a description of the vehicle,” he said.
Shortly after, Ganz said, he stopped at a red light at the intersection of Powerline and Southwest 10th Street and found himself next to the driver of the white car. The mayor said he rolled down his window.
“When he started revving up there, I yelled at him. I said, ‘You need to slow down,'” said Ganz. “He said, ‘Do you want to go?’ He reached over, and he must have had the gun sitting right on his passenger side, ’cause he instantly pulled out a gun, pointed it at me, cut in front of me, slammed on his brakes.”
Ganz said he feared the situation would escalate even further.
“Then I thought he was going to get out. I thought things were going to get really bad, and he ended up taking off and then driving like a maniac,” he said.
BSO units chased the white sedan south on Interstate 95 for about 12 minutes when, at one point, deputies said, they saw the driver tossing a weapon out of the window.
The chase came to a sudden conclusion in the area of Davie Boulevard and Riverland Road in Fort Lauderdale.
As pursuing deputies exited to the area of Davie Boulevard, they performed a pit maneuver on the vehicle, as the driver refused to stop.
Ganz said his encounter with the driver only lasted seconds but it was still frightening.
“It was nerve-racking. I didn’t think telling someone to slow down would warrant someone pulling out a gun,” he said. “I’m glad they were able to catch him.”
No injuries were reported, but the vehicle sustained some damage from the collision.
Authorities have not released the driver’s identity. His motive for driving erratically and what charges he may face remain unknown.
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