What started as a trooper clocking a fast-moving car on Interstate 4 late Friday turned into a full-blown pursuit that ended with a busted-out rear window and a driver pulled from a disabled vehicle near one of Orlando’s busiest tourist corridors, authorities say. A Winter Park man is now facing a stack of charges that include fleeing law enforcement at high speed and alleged drug offenses.
What troopers say happened
According to an arrest report, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper spotted a westbound vehicle on I-4 near mile marker 79, by John Young Parkway, allegedly traveling about 94 mph around 8:30 p.m. The trooper tried to stop the car, but investigators say the driver did not yield to lights and sirens and instead made an aggressive lane change that nearly hit other motorists.
Rather than pull over, the driver reportedly exited at mile marker 76 and kept going on Grand National Drive and Major Boulevard. Troopers initiated a precision immobilization technique, or PIT, not once but twice. The second maneuver left the vehicle disabled just before the intersection with State Road 535, where officers then punched out the car’s rear window to reach the driver and remove him from the vehicle.
Troopers identified the driver as 44-year-old Akram Ahmed of Winter Park. He faces charges that include fleeing police at high speed with disregard for persons and property, along with alleged drug-related offenses, as reported by ClickOrlando.
How PIT maneuvers are guided by policy
The PIT maneuver is a trained, high-risk tactic that troopers use to spin and stop a fleeing vehicle when conditions make ending the chase more practical and safer than letting it continue. It is not something they are supposed to use on a whim…