CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Cape Coral Police Department (CCPD) said 13-year-old, Lukis Ayala, stole his friends mom’s Mercedes and took it for a joyride that turned into a car chase.
Officers say the driver is accused of driving into curbs and shrubs in a Fifth Third Bank parking lot on Del Prado, and leading officers through a Walgreens parking lot before crashing into mailbox in a nearby neighborhood.
The homeowner whose mailbox was hit said she couldn’t believe what she say when she went outside.
“When I got out my front door I was shocked. There was a white Mercedes on top of what used to be my mailbox and the shrub,” said the homeowner.
CCPD said this all started when they responded to Everest Parkway in Cape Coral when they got a call about Ayala stealing a vehicle. Lisa Greenberg is the department's public information specialist.
“So, our officers turned on their sirens and lights and the car ended up speeding up. They mentioned in the report this car was speeding up as it was getting close to pedestrians who were walking on Everest Parkway. So, obviously this was a safety concern,” stated Greenberg in a press conference on Monday.
Greenberg said the officers chased the Mercedes through the bank and Walgreens parking lot before the vehicle fled to a nearby neighborhood. Shortly after, Greenberg said they got a call from a person living on SE 33rd Street saying a white Mercedes crashed into a mailbox and two kids ran off.
“They got there, they found the vehicle, and started searching for these two juveniles. They were able to notice that a bush had some movement, and when one of our officers called out to the people in the bush to exit, they did come out and were eventually detained,” Greenberg explained.
CCPD said Ayala has been arrested on multiple charges including grand theft auto and aggravated fleeing. Greenberg said investigation into the other juveniles involvement remains under investigation.
