Deputies capture fleeing car thief -- January 3, 2014
Channel: Seminole County Sheriff's Office
Date: 2014-01-03

Our helicopter, Alert 1, got this footage this morning of deputies apprehending a car thief out on probation who was wanted for cutting off his GPS monitoring bracelet just days ago.  At approximately 2:20 a.m., a sergeant running tags got a hit that the vehicle was stolen and attempted a traffic stop.  The vehicle failed to stop, and within minutes Longwood, Casselberry and Altamonte Springs joined deputies to try to capture the suspect.  Even after Longwood PD successfully deployed stop sticks, the suspect continued to evade law enforcement, at one point driving the wrong way up Ronald Reagan Boulevard while sparks flew from the shredded tires.   The suspect, 30-year-old Bernard Lawson of Sanford, then bailed from the car and tried to conceal himself by hiding in the shallow shores of a lake.  He was no match for Alert's infrared technology, and the flight crew never lost sight of him as they guided deputies on the ground to his exact location.  Lawson was in custody within 30 minutes of the stolen car's tag being run.  He's now charged with grand theft, fleeing/eluding, driving on a suspended license, resisting an officer, and possession of marijuana.