Driver leads 100-mph chase that ends on Kennedy Space Center grounds, Florida cops say
A routine traffic stop turned dramatic and dangerous when a man tried driving through the Kennedy Space Center grounds at 100 mph, Florida investigators say.
It happened after dark Monday, Feb. 17, but NASA security officers stopped the driver by popping his car’s tires, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 19 news release.
“Deputy Eric Williams was conducting traffic enforcement ... when he observed a vehicle coming in hot, and from there ... more bad decisions were made,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
“The vehicle began maneuvering in between traffic and picked up speed. ... As Deputy Williams attempted to catch up (the driver) decided to travel onto Kennedy Space Center property giving their officers a chance to join in.”
Security officers used spike-lined “stop sticks” to deflate the front tires, bringing the car to an abrupt stop, officials said.
The 25-year-old driver quickly surrendered, after realizing he had “nowhere else to go.”
Deputies report a search of the vehicle led to a substance that tested positive for cocaine, adding to a list of charges that includes two counts of fleeing and eluding, possession of cocaine and reckless driving.
Jail records show the driver lives about 15 miles northwest of the Kennedy Space Center in Titusville.
Kennedy Space Center is about a 50-mile drive east from Orlando.