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Nov 25, 2009 11:54 am US/Eastern
CBS4 Source: $600K Found In Chase Suspect's Car
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
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Orenthal Butler, left, and Solvin Forbes, right, have been arrested for their part in a tri-county chase on Tuesday.
CBS
The vehicle involved in a high speed pursuit that spanned three South Florida counties and later came to a NASCAR style ending, contained $600,000 in cash according to a CBS4 News source. The suspect, wanted for assaulting a law enforcement officer, led police on a high speed chase from Miami-Dade, Broward and into Palm Beach County where the chase ended with a crash.
The unidentified driver, the only person in the white four-door Mazda, weaved dangerously in and out of traffic and traveled in the breakdown lanes in order to maneuver around other vehicles. The suspect also flew through the toll booth near Land Shark Stadium without even slowing down.
The incident began in Miami-Dade County.
Sweetwater Police tells CBS4 News the chase happened after some sort of drug bust off SW 117th Avenue and 34th Street in Southwest Miami-Dade. The Mazda rammed two unmarked police cars then sped off onto the Florida Turnpike.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) along with Miami-Dade Police and Sweetwater Police pursued the suspect onto the Florida Turnpike heading northbound. That's when he put the pedal to the medal and drove at speeds of more than 100 mph.
"Thank god we had those helicopters on top that were telling us where he was going and what he was doing. We had an eye ball on him all the time," Sweetwater Police Chief Roberto Fulgueira told CBS4's Gio Benitez.
Once he entered Broward County, Miami-Dade and Sweetwater police backed off and BSO continued the pursuit. Once he left Broward County, BSO deputies backed off and officers from the Palm Beach Sheriff's office tracked the vehicle.
Just north of Okeechobee Boulevard, the suspect side-swiped another vehicle and hit a guardrail, then bounced off the guardrail several times like a ping-pong ball, before he came to a stop.
The driver of the Ford F-150 who CBS4 is identifying as Maryann was shocked the chase ended up with her car getting hit. "I'm shaken now that it's over because I was scared to death. I drive a pickup truck… I was going to hit somebody. It really hurdled the truck. It's an old truck. It's very heavy," Maryann said.
Maryann said she knew the driver was coming up from behind. "My son called me at about the time I was at the West Palm service plaza. Northbound. Said there was a white Mazda being chased up the Turnpike. I said no problem. I'm in West Palm… then boom," Maryann said.
The suspect's vehicle was hit hard enough that the airbag deployed. The suspect then had trouble trying to climb out the window where he was met by two officers with guns drawn. They quickly handcuffed him and took him into custody.
CBS4's David Sutta and Gio Benitez contributed to this report.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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