By Matt Wiley
A Ruskin man is in custody, following a high-speed chase up and down I-75 and a SWAT standoff at the Cracker Barrel in Wesley Chapel.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) reports that a call was received at 12:51 a.m. from a driver who reported that a reckless driver in a Dodge Ram had just hit his vehicle near Adamo Dr. on I-75 in Tampa, before fleeing north on the interstate. When deputies responded, they realized that the suspect—who was identified as Matthew Trevino, 28, of Ruskin—was wanted for domestic violence charges and fleeing from law enforcement from the previous day.
HCSO deputies and a helicopter followed the vehicle north on I-75 into Pasco County, where Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) deputies also responded to make contact with the suspect. Trevino continued north, but turned onto southbound I-75 at S.R. 52 and exited at S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel, before pulling into the parking lot of Cracker Barrel, located in The Grove Shopping plaza. PCSO deputies communicated with Trevino, but he refused to exit his vehicle and stated that he was armed.
HCSO reports that when the PCSO SWAT team arrived, Trevino drove away, running over deflation sticks that punctured his front, rear tire. Trevino got back on southbound I-75 and stopped just north of the S.R. 56 interchange, where he was taken into custody by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP).
Trevino faces one charge of domestic violence and two counts of fleeing law enforcement, with additional charges likely to follow.
Trevino currently is being held at the Land O’Lakes Detention center without bond.
No comment yet, add your voice below!