Wrong way driver, accused of threaening man with firearm in Homosassa, arrested in Brooksville after pursuit
HCSO mugshot of Coto.
Citrus County, Florida - During the night of Oct. 3, 2023, 40 year-old Christopher David Coto, of Homosassa, Florida was arrested in Hernando County, Florida after a pursuit that began in Homosassa in the Sugarmills Woods neighborhood.
The pursuit began a short time after the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) was contacted by a man who reported that he spoke with the driver of vehicle traveling in the wrong direction at the intersection of West Cypress Boulevard and Pine Street, and the driver, who was wearing what he believed to be ballistic armor, threatened him with a firearm.
Deputies went to the area and located the vehicle, which was still traveling in the wrong lane for its direction of travel, and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver - later identified as Coto - immediately sped off, failing to stop at a red traffic light, and deputies followed in pursuit.
Deputies pursued Coto onto U.S. Hwy. 19, traveling south, then east onto U.S. Hwy 98, where he maintained low speeds but failed to stop at other red traffic lights. When the pursuit entered Hernando County, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) and Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) joined the pursuit. HCSO deputies placed tire deflation devices onto a roadway, which eventually led to Coto stopping his vehicle, just east of the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 98 and Yontz Road in Brooksville, Florida.
Coto, who was wearing a tactical vest, disobeyed commands by the law enforcement officers. Deputies wearing tactical gear detained Coto without further incident. The firearm reported by the man in Homosassa, was located.
Coto was incarcerated at the Hernando County Detention Center in Brooksville on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, fleeing from or eluding law enforcement officers in pursuit with lights and sirens activated, resisting law enforcement officers without violence, and smuggling contraband into a detention facility ($18,000 bond).
"I am grateful that no one was injured during the apprehension of this dangerous individual," said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "It is imperative to have a great working relationship with all of our law enforcement partners. Instances like yesterday's pursuit are precisely why close relationships amongst partner law enforcement agencies are so vital. Together, we seamlessly protected the citizens we swore an oath to serve."