Broward Transit shuttle bus carjack suspect found in an Orlando area motel
The man Broward Sheriff’s Office said stole a car, rammed a deputy’s car and escaped pursuit by carjacking a Broward Transit shuttle bus was arrested Thursday. But, while the shuttle bus was found south of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, in Miami-Dade, Miami’s Leandro Fernandez Sanchez was found about 200 miles north.
BSO said Fernandez Sanchez was at a Kissimmee Econo Lodge Inn and Suites, about 8 miles from Disney World. BSO said his wig disguise didn’t foil the U.S. Marshals or Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
Fernandez Sanchez, 33, will be extradited to Broward County to face charges of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, aggravated fleeing and eluding, carjacking and armed burglary. Guilt on any of those charges would violate the probation he’s on until May 26, 2024 after Broward County convictions on two counts of car burglary, two counts of petit theft and two counts of criminal mischief.
READ MORE: Hijacked bus found in Miami-Dade after deputy-involved shooting at Broward airport
Under surveillance at the airport, then gone on a shuttle bus?
BSO says its burglary team was doing a “proactive surveillance” of Leandro Fernandez Sanchez aka Leandro Sanchez Fernandez on Feb. 17 after a carjacking and a stolen gun in a Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport parking garage.
But Fernandez Sanchez, BSO says, raced off in the stolen car and, near the 1400 block of North Perimeter Road, went for defense by offense and crashed into a BSO deputy’s car. At least one BSO deputy fired at Fernandez Sanchez. He raced over to a Broward County Paratransit TOPS shuttle bus, carjacked it from the driver and absconded.
The shuttle bus would be found in Miami-Dade a few days later.
