TAMPA, Fla. — A 20-year-old man is behind bars after authorities say he drove at 119 mph in a 70 mph speed zone and then led troopers to a chase late Saturday night on Interstate 4.
John Butler was charged with fleeing and eluding, reckless driving and several felony drug offenses.
At 11:46 p.m., troopers saw Butler's Volkswagen sedan speeding on I-4 westbound near Milepost 35 in Polk County, the Florida Highway Patrol said in a news release.
As law enforcement tried to pull him over, Butler instead increased the car's speed and drove away with the lights of the car turned off, authorities say.
The 20-year-old reportedly kept on driving on I-4 until he reached Hillsborough County while going more than 130 mph. From there, he exited the interstate to go onto Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Tampa and headed westbound.
Troopers say Butler's tires eventually disintegrated and when the car couldn't drive any longer, he stopped at East Lake Avenue and North 34th Street. The 20-year-old then surrendered to authorities without incident.
After his arrest, FHP said drug paraphernalia, over 800 oxycodone pills and a large amount of marijuana were found inside the car.
Butler was taken to the Polk County Jail.
