Deputies pursue stolen vehicle; Big Coppitt man wanted

Sheriff’s deputies chased a stolen vehicle Sunday morning in several different locations in the Lower Keys. A Lower Keys man, identified as the driver of the car, will face numerous charges in connection with the case.

The vehicle, a 2006 silver Lexus, was stolen overnight from a residence on Cudjoe Key. The owner called to report the theft at 8 a.m. The owner’s roommate also reported a chain saw stolen from his truck, which was parked at the same residence.

A short time after the report, Deputy Alexandra Davis spotted the vehicle northbound on Cudjoe Key. She attempted to stop it, but the vehicle refused to stop and began to drive very dangerously at high rates of speed so she stopped pursuing for fear of endangering other people on the roadway.

Between 8:22 a.m. and 9:45 a.m., the stolen vehicle was spotted numerous times by Sheriff’s deputies, Fish and Wildlife officers and by Key West Police officers. The officers attempted to stop the vehicle repeatedly. Each time, the driver would flee in such a dangerous manner they could not pull the vehicle over, nor could they stop it safely.

Finally, the vehicle’s tires were spiked by Deputy Ken Fricke at the 13 mile marker. It continued to travel onto Big Coppitt Key with three flat tires after being  spiked. The car was located abandoned on Ed Swift Road. A pair of black gloves were found on the passenger seat; cocaine was also found inside the car.

During the course of the investigation into who was driving, Deputy Davis received photographs and videos showing 20 year old Adrian Diaz of Big Coppitt Key with the stolen vehicle. Diaz was identified from numerous previous law enforcement contacts and from mug shots from previous arrests. One of the videos showed a man with Diaz who was identified from previous law enforcement contacts as 29 year old Frank Ramirez. Detectives interviewed him and he gave them further information pertinent to the case.

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