Driver leads Manatee deputies and troopers on multi-county chase, FHP says
Deputies are searching for two suspects after a police chase that began in Manatee County ended with a car crashing into a pond, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Troopers said the chase began around 2:17 a.m. after deputies spotted a gray Toyota sedan linked to an armed robbery in Bradenton. The driver headed north into Hillsborough County, exited Interstate 75 near Exit 250 in the Riverview area, crashed into a pond and ran from the scene.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said the robbery happened around 2:45 p.m. Thursday, when a man selling personal items to three others in the 4900 block of 79th Street East told them one of the buyers pointed a gun at him before the group drove away without paying.
Investigators later say they identified two suspects in the robbery and began surveillance on a vehicle matching the one used in Thursday’s robbery. The sheriff’s office aviation unit saw it cross county lines into Hillsborough County early Friday morning, where FHP troopers took over and pursued the vehicle until the crash, according to detectives.
Troopers said they lost sight of the vehicle during the pursuit but later received a crash alert through the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Aviation and dive teams searched the area and recovered the submerged car near Gibsonton Drive and Mathog Road, but no one was found inside or nearby, according to FHP.
The investigation is ongoing, FHP says.
This story was originally published August 8, 2025 at 11:29 AM.
