POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd recounted Friday the dramatic pursuit and capture of a car theft suspect, which included a high-speed chase, a deputy vehicle crash, and an unhappy but effective K-9.
The suspect, 28-year-old Tyreek Dickens, is now in jail after allegedly stealing a vehicle from an Uber Eats delivery driver in Tampa. Dickens was first spotted by a Polk County deputy traveling eastbound on Interstate 4 (I-4) toward Orlando.
After deputies caught up to Dickens in slowed traffic on I-4 and turned on their lights, the suspect fled, executing a U-turn through the median strip and heading back toward Tampa. The pursuit continued onto Highway 559, leading south into Auburndale.
It was on Highway 559 that Deputy Potts, who was in pursuit of the stolen vehicle, lost control of his K-9 unit. Sheriff Judd said that the vehicle ran off the road and “rolled it over and over and over.”
Deputy Potts’ K-9 partner, Ghost, was described by Judd as “not really excited about his ride” and immediately jumped out of the wrecked vehicle when it stopped, prompting the deputy to secure his furry partner quickly.
Deputy Potts was “banged up a little bit and is a little sore, but he’s okay,” and Ghost required “a few stitches later on [his] face and he’s okay.”
Although the crash caused deputies to temporarily lose sight of Dickens, he was caught again when he got trapped in traffic that had backed up near the crash scene. Deputies instantly recognized him and took him into custody, not giving him “a chance” to flee again.
In the final moments of the apprehension, K-9 Ghost, still “rattled from his crash,” assisted with a “non-contention apprehension,” which Sheriff Judd lightheartedly translated as a vocal warning to the suspect: “Woof woof woof You either stop it I’ll bite you and I’m not very happy anyway You done caused me to get in a car crash.”
Dickens faces multiple charges and remains in custody. The stolen vehicle was taken from a driver “who was trying to make a delivery,” Judd noted.
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