He used bolt cutters to steal GPS boat gear, then led cops on two-county chase, police say
A Tallahassee man led police on a two-county chase Sunday afternoon after he stole boat equipment from a marine supply store in the Florida Keys, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
The chase ended with Miami-Dade County police pulling over Lawyer Jason Thornton, 42, around 6:30 p.m. at 16800 NW Second Ave. in Miami, said Detective Lee Cowart, spokesman for the department.
It began at mile marker 82 in Islamorada at a West Marine store where police say Thornton stole two Garmin GPS units valued at $6,698.88, said Adam Linhardt, spokesman for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
West Marine employees saw Thornton remove the GPS units underneath a roll-up door in the back of the store. He used bolt cutters that he hid underneath his shirt to get inside a storage cage where the items were kept, Linhardt said.
One of the workers tried stopping Thornton, but he drove away from the store in a Nissan Armada sport utility vehicle.
Police say store security camera footage shows Thornton using a bolt cutter to snap both the lock to the door and storage cage. The footage also shows the employee confronting Thornton, Linhardt said.
A deputy issued a “be-on-the-lookout” for the car. Several deputies spotted the vehicle and pursued it with their lights and sirens on as it drove north on U.S. 1, Linhardt said.
Thornton’s car hit at least one other vehicle as he made his way to the 18-mile stretch of the highway that leads from Key Largo to Florida City on the mainland, according to Linhardt.
After Thornton crossed the Monroe County line, Miami-Dade cops picked up the chase.
Cowart said Miami-Dade police in a helicopter followed Thornton until he finally stopped his car.
Linhardt said Thornton was still in Miami-Dade County jail Monday evening, but he would eventually be brought to Monroe. He faces charges in both counties, Linhardt said.
This story was originally published September 30, 2019 at 8:24 PM.
