DELTONA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida deputies needed an airboat to arrest a pair of suspects who fled into a body of water while trying to evade capture, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.
In a Facebook post, the sheriff’s office said 23-year-old Hylan Hill of Deltona and 24-year-old Edward Ross of Lake Helen fled from deputies twice on the night of June 5, the second time while driving 65 mph in a 35 mph zone.
After the second attempt, deputies spotted the vehicle driving into a dead-end road with its lights off, striking a parked vehicle before stopping.
Hill and Ross then allegedly fled on foot, running into a body of water and tall grass nearby.
The sheriff’s office located the pair thanks to help from aerial units and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded with an airboat to help apprehend the pair.
Inside the pair’s vehicle, the sheriff’s office said it found a firearm with an extended magazine, a Glock switch, and a .22 Uzi pistol.
Hill, the driver, is charged with fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a machine gun, resisting arrest without violence, and driving with a suspended license. He is being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail without bond.
Ross is facing charges of resisting arrest without violence, tampering with evidence, possession of cannabis, and violation of probation. He is also being held without bond.
A female passenger in the car was apprehended and then released without charges, the sheriff’s office said.