BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) — A Manatee County man and three teenagers were arrested after allegedly stealing multiple cars and driving them into a pond as they ran from police.
According to a release from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, Tyreak Allen, 19, along with three teenage boys aged 14 to 16, were arrested in connection to a series of stolen cars and a home burglary early Friday morning.
Deputies responded to a call from a concerned neighbor just before 3 a.m. in the Harmony neighborhood of Lakewood Ranch. The caller said they saw a group of five or six men wearing hoodies and trying to break into cars. When deputies arrived, a car matching the caller’s description drove away, followed by another car. Three people were also seen running away.
A short chase ensued, but ended quickly when the two cars turned down a cul-de-sac. Both drivers ran away, leaving the cars in drive. Deputies said both cars rolled forward into a pond, where they came to a stop.
The sheriff’s office said one teenager was found by a K-9 unit while hiding in a bush. A K-9 tracked down another teen in a neighboring subdivision. The final two suspects were spotted by the sheriff’s office helicopter hiding on a covered back patio in Harmony.
One car in the pond was found to be stolen outside of Manatee County. The second car in the pond, along with a third whose keys were reportedly found in Allen’s pocket, were stolen from the Harmony neighborhood. Deputies said they found two guns inside one of the cars.
In total, the sheriff’s office said three of the suspects were charged with grand theft motor vehicle, two with aggravated fleeing to elude, two with burglary to an occupied dwelling, two with loitering and prowling, and one with resisting arrest without violence.
