East Naples man arrested after stolen vehicle pursuit ends in canal

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Pedro Luis Padilla. Credit: Collier County Sheriff’s Office

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, 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 spotted at a gas station near the intersection of Collier Boulevard and Manatee Road. The black 2004 Ford truck had been reported stolen out of Collier County on Aug. 31; a relative of the victim recognized the vehicle.

Deputies attempted to stop the stolen vehicle, which instead led them on a pursuit for 27 miles. Padilla averaged speeds of 60 mph throughout the 23-minute incident.

Aviation units tracked Padilla as he made his way to a dead-end street in Golden Gate Estates, where deputies disabled the vehicle along 47th Avenue Northeast.

Padilla left the truck and dived into the canal to escape arrest. A deputy followed him into the water and swam the 40-foot canal to the other side. Padilla stopped running when he saw an agency helicopter hovering overhead.

The deputy handcuffed Padilla. Seeing that the deputy was alone on the other side of the canal without backup, the 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 on a pursuit.

No one was injured in the incident.

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