Florida man jumped into St. Johns River to evade authorities after leading them on chase, deputies say

Florida man who jumped into St. Johns River to evade police arrested

An Apopka man who led authorities on a chase through multiple counties in Central Florida on Saturday, and then jumped into the St. Johns River, was arrested late Saturday, according to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.

Florida authorities said a 28-year-old man jumped into the St. Johns River in an attempt to avoid capture after leading deputies in a pursuit across multiple Central Florida counties on Saturday.

Oscar Dominique Leonides was in the water for about an hour before he was eventually taken into custody on Saturday night, a spokesperson for the Seminole County Sheriff's Office previously told FOX 35.

Leonides was booked into jail on counts of fleeing and eluding police and for possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl.

According to the arrest report, the Orange County Sheriff's Office's helicopter was in pursuit of a stolen truck. The pursuit entered Seminole County, where deputies attempted to deploy "stop sticks" and to pull the driver over, but the driver continued to speed and evade authorities, the report said.

Deputies were able to successfully use stop sticks on SR-415 to stop the vehicle, where Leonides then got out of the vehicle and jumped into the river, according to a spokesperson.

According to the report, Leonides also had an outstanding warrant in Lake County for alleged armed robbery, and previously had his driving privileges revoked for fleeing and evading authorities.

Deputies also found bags of fentanyl on Leonides, and a bag with methamphetamine in the truck, according to the report.

SR-415 reopened late Saturday after being closed for an hour because of the search and investigation.