LARGO -- Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri says he's had it with the "out of control nonsense" of people recklessly fleeing from deputies after they've been ordered to stop.
Gualtieri says anyone who drives away after being told to stop by a deputy will have his or her car seized and sold. If someone else owns the car, the sheriff says the owner will be notified that a driver committed fleeing and eluding in their car, and that it'll be seized if it happens again.
Gualtieri says nationwide, there's been a 40% increase between 2019 and 2022 in the number fatal crashes that stem from a police chase. In Pinellas County, he says there have been more than 1-thousand cases of someone fleeing from a deputy since January of 2022. The sheriff says loosening policy and allowing more pursuits only adds to the danger for deputies and citizens.
The policy goes into effect Tuesday (June 11th).
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