Armed with a stolen car, he rammed deputies' vehicles and ran from a helicopter, cops say

A man is accused of stealing from a Bradenton hardware store and then jacking a nearby car before he allegedly slammed into deputies' patrol vehicles on Tuesday night.

Jim Courtney, 30, swiped a felony amount of tools from the Lowe's on 14th Street West at about 7:50 p.m., according to a news release from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

He then stole a car and disappeared until 11:10 p.m., according to the release. Deputies spotted Courtney, who allegedly drove down 59th Avenue Drive East and faced a dead end.

In a desperate attempt to escape, the release states, Courtney rammed two patrol cars and drove through a yard. He was then accused a crashing into a fence and a tree near 301 Boulevard West and South Tamiami Trail — a blunder witnessed by the pursuing helicopter.

Courtney allegedly jumped out of the car and ran from deputies, who caught up a short time later. The deputies escaped injury, but a hospital treated Courtney before he was transported to jail, according to the release.

He was facing 10 charges as of Wednesday night, including grand theft of a motor vehicle, fleeing and two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer. Courtney remained in jail on Wednesday.

This story was originally published July 4, 2018 at 3:28 PM.