HIGHLANDS COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies were forced to use their patrol vehicles to ram a Jeep to stop a driver who had led them on a high-speed chase Sunday night.
In a news release, the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office said that its deputies were alerted to be on the lookout for a Jeep that had fled from a traffic stop in Polk County. Deputies later spotted the Jeep driving recklessly and began to follow it.
Deputies said Anthony Powell was behind the wheel of the car, driving south in the northbound lanes at speeds over 90 miles an hour, forcing other cars to take evasive action to avoid crashing.
In the news release, deputies said that at one point, when the Jeep approached an intersection, a 22-year-old woman jumped out of the car while it continued to drive at a high speed. The woman told deputies that “she felt her life was in danger and she was being held hostage because Powell refused to let her out of the car despite multiple requests.”
Deputies deployed stop sticks to end the pursuit, which Powell tried to evade, WFLA reported. Deputies eventually made the decision to ram the Jeep.
Powell was arrested and charged with multiple crimes, including fleeing/eluding law enforcement causing injury, DUI and false imprisonment.
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