Suspected Collier burglary leads to chase; police car hit

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NORTH NAPLES, Fla. — A burglary at a motorcycle dealer on Naples Boulevard led to a wild chase that involved a motorcycle crashing into a Collier County Sheriff’s Office car in the early morning hours Wednesday.

The Sheriff’s Office said at about 5 a.m. that all allegedly involved had been apprehended, ending a search that had gone on for hours.

It all began at about 1:30 a.m., when deputies believe a group of thieves was trying to steal motorcycles from Florida Motorsports, 6329 Naples Blvd. A car and a motorcycle took off from the dealership, while others involved fled on foot, sheriff’s office officials said.

Deputies gave chase, and the motorcycle collided with a police vehicle in the process. It’s unclear if anyone was hurt.

Two of those allegedly involved were apprehended at Pine Ridge Road and Shirley Street, where they were asking construction workers if they could use their phones. Others in the alleged crime abandoned their car near Naples Bath & Tennis Club on the 4900 block of Airport Pulling Road North, running into the woods, where deputies captured one person of interest who was soaking wet.

The sheriff’s office said it was looking for another person before saying the search was over. It’s unclear if a fourth person had been caught or if deputies determined that only three were involved.

The dealership’s finance manager told WINK News that three of the alleged thieves had been in the shop before. The affair caused $12,000 in damage to three stolen motorcycles, including the one that collided with the police car, the finance manager also said. That bike was totaled.

A fourth bike was also removed from the property, and all of them belonged to customers who had brought them to the dealership for repair, according to the finance manager.

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