UPDATED: Man killed, trooper shot, and man taken into custody after pursuit on I-75 in Wesley Chapel, FL
Photo of disabled truck at incident location courtesy of FHP.
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP)
Pasco County, Florida - Early Saturday morning, February 4, 2023, about 3:15 am, a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper on patrol along Interstate-75 (I-75) noticed two pickup trucks along the shoulder of the roadway near the northbound 279 Milepost, and two adult males who appeared to be attempting to steal one of the trucks or items inside the truck.
The men entered their pickup truck and began traveling north on I-75 - fleeing from the trooper, with the trooper in pursuit. As the pursuit continued, the men discharged a firearm from their truck, several times, striking a tanker truck that was also traveling north on I-75.
When the fleeing truck reached State Road 50, the suspects reversed course and began traveling south on I-75. At this location, two additional troopers joined the pursuit. As the suspects reached Overpass Road in Wesley Chapel, Florida, they exited the interstate, where a trooper successfully performed a PIT (precision immobilization technique) maneuver on the fleeing truck, which terminated the pursuit. When the truck came to a stop, the two suspects exited the truck and ran toward a wooded area, just south of Overpass Road, where one man surrendered to a trooper; he was later identified as 38 year-old Yoandy Mora Perez from Hialeah, Florida.
While one of the troopers was taking Mora Perez into custody, the other suspect produced a handgun, and exchanged shots with the second trooper. The assailant was struck and suffered fatal injuries at the scene. The trooper was struck in the torso and airlifted to an area hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
On February 6, a FHP press release stated, "The injured trooper remains hospitalized at this time for serious, but non-life threatening injuries."
Mora Perez was transported to an area hospital for medical care. Later the same day (February 4) he was delivered to the Pasco County Jail in Land O' Lakes, Florida, charged with fleeing from and eluding law enforcment officers, burglary of a conveyance, grand theft, obstructing law enforcement officers without violence, and felony murder. His bond was set at $685,500.
The identity of the suspect who died was not revealed, and no information was released regarding the tanker truck that was struck by gunfire.
Agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, along with members of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Pasco Sheriff’s Crime Scene Unit and Hernando County Sheriff’s Crime Unit are investigating the incident.
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FEBRUARY 4, 2023
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP)
Early Saturday morning, February 4, 2023, about 3:15 am, a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper on patrol along Interstate-75 (I-75) noticed two pickup trucks along the shoulder of the roadway near the northbound 279 Milepost, and two adult males who appeared to be attempting to steal one of the trucks or items inside the truck.
The men entered their pickup truck and began traveling north on I-75 - fleeing from the trooper, with the trooper in pursuit. As the pursuit continued, the men discharged a firearm from their truck, several times, striking a tanker truck that was also traveling north on I-75.
When the fleeing truck reached State Road 50, the suspects reversed course and began traveling south on I-75. At this location, two additional troopers joined the pursuit. As the suspects reached Overpass Road, they exited the interstate and a trooper successfully performed a PIT (precision immobilization technique) maneuver on the fleeing truck, which terminated the pursuit. When the truck came to a stop, the two suspects exited the truck and ran toward a wooded area, just south of Overpass Road, where one man surrendered to a trooper.
While one of the troopers was taking the surrendered suspect into custody, the other suspect produced a handgun, and exchanged shots with the second trooper. The assailant was struck and suffered fatal injuries at the scene. The trooper was struck in the torso and airlifted to an area hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
Charges against the assailant who was taken into custody are pending. He was transported to an area hospital for medical care. The identity of the two suspects was not revealed at the time of the initial press releases, and no information was released about the tanker truck that was struck by gunfire.
Agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, along with members of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Pasco Sheriff’s Crime Scene Unit and Hernando County Sheriff’s Crime Unit are investigating the incident.