A Florida man allegedly stole a car and ended his getaway by driving straight into the parking lot of a county jail. The unusual ending was captured on camera and later shared by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
According to a Facebook post from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were pursuing a stolen Chevrolet Impala when the driver unexpectedly turned into the jail’s parking lot. The department shared a mix of dashcam, body camera, and aerial footage.
It shows deputies tracking the Impala as the suspect tried to make an escape, and a deputy can be heard reacting as the vehicle turns into the jail parking lot.
“Vehicle just made a right-hand turn into the jail,” the deputy says in the footage. It is difficult to imagine a more direct route from a police pursuit to a jail than simply driving into the parking lot.
The Suspect Took an Unexpected Turn
The suspect parked the stolen car in the jail county lot, then attempted to flee on foot. He jumped a fence and headed toward a nearby pond.
Body camera footage shows deputies jumping the fence to catch the suspect. He was then arrested, ending the pursuit on jail property, where the suspect unexpectedly turned into.
The Sheriff’s Office said its Aviation Unit also assisted deputies during the arrest. The aerial team helped keep track of the suspect after he abandoned the vehicle, while deputies on the ground moved in to take him into custody.
The Sheriff’s Office Noticed the Irony
The department clearly recognized that the suspect had made their job easier by driving into the jail parking lot. In the Facebook post, the Sheriff’s Office joked that “It’s not often that criminals take themselves to jail, but this one did.”
The department also gave credit to the deputies and the Aviation Unit for working together during the pursuit. The post ended by praising all who were involved in helping catch the suspect.
A Not So Great Escape
Police pursuits can end in plenty of unusual places, but ending a chase in a jail parking lot is not something you see every day, and it goes to show how inexperienced this suspect actually was.
The Sheriff’s Office did not provide additional details about the specific charges the suspect faces beyond the alleged vehicle theft. There was also no explanation as to why the suspect turned into the jail parking lot, leaving that particular decision to remain one of the most bizarre details of the incident.