Florida Man’s GTA-Style Police Escape Took an Unexpected Turn

23-year-old Christopher Brinkley Smithers was pulled over by a Monroe County Sheriff’s deputy in Key Largo. The Great Falls, Virginia native was driving a rented Range Rover and was accused of driving erratically. He apparently nearly sideswiped the deputy, which gave her enough reason to ask the driver to pull over.

What made things more interesting is that the deputy reportedly noticed that Smithers was struggling to form coherent sentences. Assuming that he may be under the influence of something, the deputy decided to call another deputy to conduct a field sobriety test. That’s when Smithers allegedly decided to take off, triggering a pursuit.

The pursuit ultimately involved the Florida Highway Patrol as the Range Rover reportedly reached 122 mph. The deputies state that he drove on the shoulder and sidewalk, knocking down several signs in the process. At one point, he stopped near Burton Drive in Tavernier. The chasing officers assumed that he wanted to end the chase, but Smithers allegedly started speeding off again when the deputies started getting out of their vehicles.

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As the Range Rover allegedly continued to speed, the troopers were forced to use a PIT maneuver to end the pursuit. This decision was likely taken because the Range Rover also crashed into part of a guardhouse complex, where it lost a tire. Things were naturally more dangerous at this point, since speeding without a tire is even harder.

However, the car still crashed into a trailered boat before the GTA-style chase finally ended. Fortunately for those not involved with the pursuit, there’s public dashcam footage that anyone can watch.

Things Didn’t End Well For Smithers

After the chase, Smithers was medically evaluated and then taken to jail. He allegedly told authorities that he had taken 80 mg of Adderall, though his breath didn’t show any signs of alcohol. Still, he ended up getting charged with fleeing, eluding, and driving under the influence.

The chase may have looked cool on video, but it caused a lot of damage. From roadside signs to parts of a guardhouse complex, it’s safe to say that those who usually take the U.S. 1 highway will see signs of this chase for a while.