BELLEVIEW, Fla. – A 37-year-old Marion County man was arrested on suspicion of throwing cocaine from the sunroof of a pickup truck while leading deputies on a high-speed chase.
Carl Michael Stiles, of Belleview, was arrested Sunday on several charges, including possession of cocaine, tampering with evidence, criminal mischief, fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer and driving with a suspended license.
According to the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Stiles was speeding along Southeast 59th Street and pulled off to the side of the road before speeding away.
Deputies said Stiles reached speeds above 80 mph, running through stop signs and red lights.
A deputy twice tried to use a technique called a PIT maneuver to stop Stiles, who continued to race away, even driving on the wrong side of a highway, officials said.
At one point, he was witnessed tossing cocaine from the pickup, said deputies, who added that Stop Sticks were used when Stiles got near County Road 484, puncturing the truck's tires.
Stiles' truck went through a store parking lot and a chain-link fence before crashing into a retention pond.
The chase was captured on dash-cam video, which was released Tuesday.
Stiles was then arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail.