Inset: Juanniel Luque Cantillo (Pasco County Jail). Background: BMW of Wesley Chapel in Florida (Google Maps).
A Florida man finds himself in legal trouble — all for the pursuit of $60, cops say.
The Florida Highway Patrol said in a probable cause arrest affidavit that a trooper was patrolling in the area of State Road 56 near Shops Lane in Wesley Chapel, which is roughly 25 miles northeast of Tampa, when he spotted a speeding black sedan. He was allegedly traveling at about 85 mph.
The trooper turned around and began pursuing the car, a Toyota Corolla. The driver approached the intersection at a “dangerously high speed” and made a hard right turn, temporarily causing him to lose control and fishtail before again speeding off, cops said. According to the trooper, the driver increased speed once he saw the emergency lights activated.
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Weaving in and out of traffic, the driver was clocked at 106 mph in a 55 mph, the complaint said. The driver allegedly ran at least two red lights and showed a “wanton disregard for the safety of persons and property in the area,” cops wrote.
Eventually, the driver turned on his hazard lights, slowed down and pulled over into a grassy ditch area. The trooper took out his gun and ordered the driver out of his car. A Pasco County Sheriff”s deputy and the trooper yanked the driver out and took him into custody. He was identified as 23-year-old Juanniel Luque Cantillo.
Post Miranda, Luque Cantillo told cops he was speeding to the Wesley Chapel BMW because someone had left behind $60 and the cash was up for grabs as part of a “scavenger hunt” on Instagram. Luque Cantillo said he follows an account where the poster hides cash and the first person to find it can keep it, according to the affidavit.
The defendant also allegedly said when he saw cops he became “nervous and decided to flee.”
Cops arrested the defendant on charges of fleeing and eluding, reckless driving and operating a vehicle at 100 mph or more. He was taken to the Pasco County Jail where he has since bonded out.
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