HUDSON, Fla. — It's something you don’t see every day — a police chase involving a stolen recreational vehicle.
The Pasco Sheriff's Office says they had actually backed off the chase.
“The driver of the camper started acting very recklessly, so the supervisors disengaged or told the deputies to stop pursing," said Captain James Steffans.
But several civilians were still following that RV.
“Although we greatly appreciate the assistance of the public in helping point where the suspects are, we don’t wish for them to get actively involved, so that they become in harms way," said Steffans.
This all started when investigators say two shoplifting suspects got in the waiting RV outside a Walmart. They eventually bailed out and were caught.
But the driver of the stolen RV, Larry Donaldson, kept on going. He ended up in the parking lot of Bayonet Point Regional Medical Center.
When a deputy tried to pin him in, the Sheriff’s Office says that RV smashed into their SUV. But the chase was finally over, and Donaldson was caught.
“We couldn’t allow the suspect to leave the camper or run into the hospital, creating a real eminent concern for safety and operation of the hospital. And we couldn’t allow it to go back out on the roadways," said Steffans.
No one involved was hurt. And other than a lot of commotion, no hospital services were effected.
But the owners of that RV say they just got the RV when it was stolen.
“And they were stocking if for their first trip to launch their first voyage.”
There was just minor damage to the RV, major damage to Sheriff’s Office vehicle.
And the three suspects involved are all facing a list of charges.
