Deputy swims canal to arrest driver who stole truck

Deputies arrested an East Naples man Tuesday following a vehicle pursuit that ended after a deputy swam through a canal to take the man into custody.Pedro Luis Padilla 20, of 4109 Mindi Ave, is facing charges of grand theft auto, fleeing and eluding, driving with a suspended license and resisting arrest without violence. Deputies responded Tuesday morning to calls of a stolen vehicle, which was spotted by the caller at a gas station near the intersection of Collier Boulevard and Manatee Road. The vehicle, a black, 2004 Ford truck had been reported stolen out of Collier County on Aug. 31 of this year. On Tuesday, a relative of the victim recognized the vehicle and called deputies. Deputies attempted to stop the stolen vehicle, which instead led them on a pursuit spanning 27 miles. Padilla averaged speeds of 60 miles per hour during the incident, which lasted 23 minutes. Aviation Units assisted by air in tracking Padilla as he made his way to a dead-end street in Golden Gate Estates. That’s where deputies with the agency’s K-9 Unit performed a PIT maneuver, disabling the vehicle along 47th Avenue Northeast.Padilla left the truck on foot and ran to the end of the street, diving into the canal to escape arrest. One of the deputies in the pursuit entered the water to follow Padilla and swam the 40-foot canal to the other side. Padilla stopped running upon seeing an agency helicopter hovering above.The deputy handcuffed Padilla. Seeing that the deputy was alone on the other side of the canal without back-up, our helicopter pilot landed the craft in an empty field and the tactical flight officer, who was also on board, deplaned to assist the deputy on the ground with the suspect. Backup units arrived on the opposite side of the canal to transport Padilla, who faces charges for stealing the truck and for leading deputies in a pursuit. No one was injured in the incident.

Posted by Collier County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, September 30, 2020