BRADENTON, Fla. — Deputies with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office arrested a 26-year-old who they say led law enforcement on a destructive chase after stealing a taxi in Bradenton.
A news release from the agency explains Leo Bradley beat a driver of a private taxi service before stealing his car and crashing it into light poles early Thursday morning.
The incident started at about 12:18 a.m. when Bradley reportedly punched the driver off 1st Street West because he "refused to pay in advance for a taxi ride from Bradenton to Tampa."
Deputies say the 26-year-old knocked the driver to the ground and stole his SUV, which was spotted within minutes of the incident driving eastbound on Manatee Avenue West.
This was when a chase started with law enforcement trying to stop Bradley, who switched directions and headed west toward Anna Maria Island, according to the agency. He reportedly hit a deputy's patrol vehicle with the stolen SUV.
The sheriff's office's helicopter was able to follow the SUV as it left the island and captured it on video almost crashing into oncoming traffic, the release explains.
"Bradley continued to drive erratically to... Manatee Ave. W., where he drove the stolen vehicle into a light pole, knocking the pole into the roadway," the sheriff's office wrote in the release.
After knocking down another light pole, the SUV eventually came to a stop in a ditch. Multiple units surrounded the car and medical crews removed Bradley from the car.
"The pursuit covered approximately 20 miles along dry roads with minimal traffic for about 17 minutes," the agency wrote in the release. "There were no injuries to any MCSO personnel."
The 26-year-old was left with non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Blake Hospital for treatment. He's now facing multiple charges including battery, motor vehicle theft, an accident involving a vehicle and aggravated fleeing with damage.