Some criminals don’t seem to have their priorities straight, especially after leading multiple cops on a dangerous police chase. One man in Florida attempted to flee deputies in Lee County and nearly crashed into other vehicles when he was finally brought to a halt after his truck flipped onto its side. But as the driver was ordered to get out of his vehicle, he made an odd request, showing the deputies that he didn’t know or care about how serious the situation really was.
Deputies find several drugs in the man’s vehicle
On October 18 at around 3:05 a.m., deputies arrested a man, later identified as 22-year-old Zachary Taylor Murray, after he led them on a wild chase that started in Fort Myers, according to post by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) in an official Facebook post.
The LCSO says that deputies were on patrol near Orange Grove Boulevard in North Fort Myers when they received a request for assistance from the Fort Myers Police Department about a vehicle that had fled from a traffic stop in their jurisdiction.
Murray was seen driving his white truck near the intersection of Orange Grove Boulevard and Pondella Road around a parked vehicle and through a red light, almost colliding with another truck.
Deputies then attempted to traffic stop, but Murray continued to flee and accelerated, nearly losing traction and striking yet another vehicle. He was then observed going over the median and driving the vehicle into oncoming traffic. That’s when deputies decided to use a PIT maneuver to prevent Murray from driving recklessly and potentially causing a deadly crash.
Video shows the truck overturned in the middle of a field with a deputy holding a firearm and ordering Murray to raise his hands. The man has a hard time standing up in the overturned truck, but he’s told to open the driver’s side door, which was now above him. The man is able to pop the door open and is ordered to climb out of the truck immediately, but he asks the deputies surrounding him for a strange request.
“All right. Can I get a cigarette?” Murray asks.
It’s unclear if he’s asking the deputies for a cigarette or if he’s asking whether he can grab a cigarette from inside his truck. Either way, the deputies are not amused.
“Get out of the truck!” one deputy shouts, leading Murray to reply “Yes, sir!” twice.
After climbing out of the vehicle, the driver is seen kneeling on the grass and assuring the cops that he’s “not trying to fight” several times as they bring his hands behind his back and place him in handcuffs. He then has a sobering realization.
“**** man, I’m going to jail,” Murray says. In response, the video humorously writes “That’s Correct!” before revealing his mugshot at the end of the Facebook Reel.
That said, the roughly one-minute clip of Murray’s arrest doesn’t show what the deputies found inside the vehicle or the long list of charges that the 22-year-old man faces. According to inmate records, Murray was charged with possession of a controlled substance, three counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, fleeing and eluding, and reckless driving.
On top of that, deputies found enough cocaine in the vehicle that he was also charged with trafficking in cocaine. In the state of Florida, that means he had at least 28 grams of the drug in his possession. LCSO states Murray has an “extensive criminal history” that includes theft, battery, drug charges, and resisting an officer.
Inmate records reveal that Murray is still in custody at the time of writing and remains in jail on a bond totaling over $44000. He is set to appear in court on November 16.
