PALMETTO, Fla. — A man who thought he had a warrant out for his arrest hit the gas to his truck and drove out onto a golf course, eventually crashing into a pond, authorities said.
Deputies spotted the truck, which didn't have its headlights on, around 1 a.m. Thursday on the wrong side of Harrison Ranch Boulevard, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.
Its driver, later identified as 42-year-old William Ballard, took off when deputies say they tried to do a traffic stop.
The truck crashed through a fence at the Buffalo Creek Golf Course and drove onto the green. An aviation unit with the sheriff's office that had responded watched as the truck crashed into a pond.
Ballard got out and waded through the water, eventually trying to hide in some brush, the sheriff's office said. But video from the helicopter above showed that a pilot was able to keep an eye on him — even in the night — and helped point deputies to him for arrest.
The sheriff's office said Ballard didn't actually have a warrant out for his arrest, but he was driving with a suspended license. He now faces additional charges, including fleeing to elude a law enforcement officer at high speed.