K-9 tracks down man after a car chase, car crash and foot pursuit

Reporter: Amy Galo Writer: Elyssa Morataya
Published: Updated:
Car chase crash
CREDIT: Collier County Sheriff’s Office

It all started around 2 a.m. on Thursday. Collier County deputies were led on a chase through the Collier County Government Center.

Deputies said they spotted Wilmar Herrera Fuentes speeding without his lights on.

Instead of stopping, deputies said Fuentes tried to evade them by taking a sharp left turn through the Collier County Government Center and then down Airport Road.

Wilmer Fuentes. CREDIT: CCSO

Deputies clocked Fuentes driving around 80 miles per hour when he took a sharp right turn, causing him to jump a median and hit a tree before winding up in the nearby pond.

While you might think the pursuit would have ended there, authorities said Herrea jumped out of the car and swam across the pond to a nearby Home Depot parking lot.

Fuentes jumped two fences and hid in bushes, before being tracked down by a K-9 officer.

According to CCSO, several empty cans of Modelo were found in the center console of Fuentes’ car, and he did not have a valid driver’s license.

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