Posted: 06:22, 22 August 2022 | Updated: 07:35, 22 August 2022
A Florida car thief was chased by police on a wild ride through the suburbs, gardens and woods in the central state city of Ocala. Dale Shrewsbury, 35, is the alleged driver behind the wheel of the frenzied chase that saw several police cars try to tackle him. Once the vehicle was thrown off the road, he could be seen running for it, but he couldn’t outrun the force’s K-9 officer named Jet, who grabbed his butt and dragged him to the ground. As officers finally caught up, Shrewsbury could be heard screaming and squealing to get the dog off his back, but officers refused until the suspect was handcuffed. The car chase began around 9:20 a.m. on August 11 in the city of Ocala, in central Florida The chase went through backyards, woods, gardens and narrow country lanes Dale Shrewsbury, 35, allegedly led police on a 21-minute car chase The car was stolen around 8:30 a.m. on August 11 after the owner left the keys inside the vehicle. Seizing an opportunity, Shrewsbury allegedly jumped into the driver’s seat and sped off. Less than an hour later, the car was spotted by police who attempted a traffic stop and got Shrewsbury to stop. The suspect driver ignored such requests and the pursuit began in earnest on several roads throughout the city of Ocala and Marion County. Shrewsbury drove recklessly to avoid arrest and ran several cars off the road, including a police car. At some point the vehicle broke through a garden fence and into a back yard The suspect tried to evade capture by driving the car down narrow country lanes He could then be seen breaking through wooden garden fences and metal gates into the driveway before speeding across fields and yards. Miraculously, no one was out and about in their gardens or children playing outside at the time of the chase. A tire stinger was used, but Shrewsbury managed to avoid this as well by heading down a dirt road into a wooded area. Officers from the Ocala Police Department were unable to continue the pursuit through the woods with trails too narrow for patrol vehicles to drive down. Police were able to push the car off the road, at which point he ran it over K-9 Officer Jet was able to catch the suspect and bit the man’s bottom He was heard screaming on video as he was handcuffed After emerging from the woods, Shrewsbury continued to flee law enforcement by driving through residential yards, hitting several wooden and metal fences. The chase ended after 21 minutes when officers performed the PIT (pursuit intervention technique) maneuver which causes the car to turn 90 degrees and end up off the road. After climbing out of the car, Shrewsbury made a run for it, but was quickly caught by eager K-9 Jet. The footage then saw the police dog fall into the back of Shrewsbury as the alleged car thief screamed. Shrewsbury was arrested for auto theft, aggravated fleeing and eluding, five counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage and driving with a suspended license.
