HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A driver was arrested after leading Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) troopers on a high-speed chase from Interstate 75 to U.S. Highway 41 before crashing and fleeing, according to a news release.
Trooper Pacheco Martinez was conducting traffic enforcement near mile marker 251 on I-75 when he spotted a white Ford F-150 speeding around 10:42 p.m. on Thursday, according to a criminal report affidavit.
When the trooper activated emergency lights and sirens, investigators said the truck accelerated and fled. The pursuit continued west onto State Road 60 and then south onto U.S. Highway 41, per the release.
According to FHP, the driver repeatedly attempted to prevent troopers from ending the pursuit with a PIT maneuver by intentionally swerving toward the patrol vehicle. During the chase, the truck sideswiped another vehicle on U.S. Highway 41 and continued driving.
Troopers said the truck eventually swerved into a grassy shoulder near railroad tracks, where the driver, identified as 38-year-old Johnathan Ray Porubcan, ran from the vehicle. He was captured a short time later by Trooper Martinez, per the release.
Porubcan was taken to a hospital for evaluation due to a suspected overdose. After being medically cleared, he was charged with aggravated fleeing to elude, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, hit-and-run with property damage and DUI, FHP said.
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