Man that led police on a Midpoint Bridge car chase arrested

Reporter: Zach Oliveri Writer: Derrick Shaw
Published: Updated:
moreland mug
Credit: Fort Myers Police Department

The Fort Myers Police Department confirmed to WINK News that one man has been arrested after leading police on a chase.

Around 11:30 p.m., FMPD officers received a call that a robbery was within the 2800 block in Broadway Avenue in Fort Myers. Then, officers saw a black car leaving the area of the robbery and avoiding law enforcement.

Officers attempted to stop the car, but the driver began speeding and disregarding public safety. The driver then hit another vehicle on Midpoint Bridge, where the chase ended.

The bridge was closed on Saturday night, and many didn’t know why. But Payton Trombley did. “A black car, no lights on, nothing was like six inches away from hitting us,” Trombley said.

Trombley says she and her boyfriend were crossing the Midpoint Bridge to head home to Cape Coral. That’s when they noticed law enforcement following the car.

“There were like five cop cars chasing him. And I was like, ‘oh my gosh, what’s happening,'” she said.

They tried to get the car to stop once more, but that’s when Moreland hit another vehicle. “He hit the truck, and his car went to the right of the bridge. Hit the bridge and kept hitting like back and forth,” said Trombley. “I started crying because I didn’t know what was happening.”

That driver was detained, and police found a loaded gun under the driver’s seat. The driver, Bryant Moreland, 45, was subsequently arrested.

Trombley is glad that no one was hurt. “I was afraid that like he was going to get out of his car and start shooting. And that’s like I’m scared of people shooting because I love my life, and I don’t want to die,” she said.

Moreland could face charges of cocaine possession, fleeing and eluding police, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and operating a vehicle without a valid license.

FMPD says a man was pistol-whipped and robbed by two men in the area where they got the initial call. Those two got away in a vehicle matching the car’s description that officers attempted to stop.

FMPD continues investigating that robbery along Broadway Ave and is calling it a separate incident. If you have any information about that robbery, you can call the Fort Myers Police Department at (239) 321-7700.

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