On November 25, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MSO) posted a press release to its official Facebook account regarding an incident that took place during a traffic stop on Monterey Road near the MSO building.
According to the MSO, on the night of November 23, Juiber Ochoa of Hollywood, 28 years old, chose not to pull over as asked and, instead, “fled in a misguided attempt to return to the interstate”.
Multiple patrol cars were involved as a chase ensued through Palm City. Police were able to employ strategically placed tire deflation devices on the road, and Ochoa drove over them.
However, as the MSO put it, “Even with deflated tires and a wobbling vehicle, Ochoa sped off once again”. This caused deputies to enact “a pursuit intervention maneuver, which effectively guided the wobbler off the road and into an open field”.
Once forced into the field, Ochoa and passenger Charles Cocuzza of Hollywood, 29 years old, took off on foot. They abandoned both the vehicle and another passenger, Nicollette Giordano of Wellington, 23 years old.
Before long, all three suspects were apprehended. Ochoa was caught before Cocuzza, but K-9 Loki tracked Cocuzza down and found him taking cover in a ditch.