He crashed a stolen car and took off running in Bradenton, cops say. A K9 found him hiding

A man deputies say drove away from a traffic stop and crashed a stolen vehicle tried to hide in a parking lot, but his hiding spot was no match for a K9.

On Wednesday night, Manatee County Sheriff’s deputies found a Toyota Rav4 that had been reported stolen and started following the SUV as it was driving south on First Street near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Bradenton around 11:13 p.m., the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Deputies tried to initiate a traffic stop but the driver took off, weaving through traffic in an attempt to get away. A sheriff’s office helicopter watched from above after deputies on the road backed off pursuing the vehicle and its driver, later identified as 25-year-old Artavius Jamaal Foresyth, according to the release.

The vehicle crashed into a truck stopped at a red light at First Street West and 26th Street West, but it did not stop until Foresyth pulled into the parking lot of Firkins Automotive, according to the sheriff’s office.

Foresyth got out of the SUV and ran, eventually hiding under a vehicle in the back of the dealership’s lot, according to the sheriff’s office. A K9 tracked Foresyth through the parking lot and found him under the vehicle, biting Foresyth in the leg.

Foresyth was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital to be treated for the bite. Jail records show Foresyth faces charges of motor vehicle theft, fleeing to elude, leaving the scene of a crash, resisting an officer and driving while license suspended.

This story was originally published April 12, 2019 at 12:52 PM.