An unlicensed man led police on a high-speed chase in southwest Florida, and his explanation was that it “felt like he was in the ‘Grand Theft Auto’ video game,” according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
The chase took place on Interstate 75 in Naples around 12:15 a.m. Wednesday, July 19, the sheriff’s office said in a press release. Naples is about 170 miles south of Tampa.
Investigators say the 22-year-old suspect was driving a Nissan SUV “when deputies recorded him going 117 mph in a 70 mph zone…near Pine Ridge Road.”
“Deputies tried to overtake … but (the driver) ignored their lights and sirens and accelerated to over 125 mph (while traveling north on I-75),” officials said.
“He exited the highway at the Immokalee Road exit, where he continued at high speed, ran a red light and crossed a grassy area just north of Northbrooke Plaza Drive. The SUV came to a stop at the gated entrance to the Cypress Trace Community.
The driver, who lives in Naples, was arrested “without incident.” Deputies then learned he only had a learner’s permit, the sheriff’s office said.
“On the way to the Collier County Jail (the man) told a deputy sheriff that he felt like he was in the video game ‘Grand Theft Auto,'” officials said.
“Grand Theft Auto” is an “action-adventure crime” video game series that allows players to take on the role of “an emerging criminal in major cities based on real places,” according to Rockstar Games Wiki. “The player can use different weapons and drive different vehicles.”
The driver was charged with fleeing and evading, speeding and driving permit violations, officials said.
“This may have felt like play to this individual, but in reality he endangered the lives of other motorists and our deputies with his reckless driving and excessive speed,” Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said in the release. “He will now be held accountable.”
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