Man accused of leading Lee County deputies on high-speed chase, attempting to crash into deputy

SUNCOAST ESTATES, Fla. —

A man was arrested after being accused of leading a Lee County deputy on a car chase and trying to crash into the deputy's car on Saturday.

According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office arrest report, at around 7:40 p.m., a deputy on patrol in the Suncoast community noticed a car traveling westbound on Tucker Lane at a speed that looked to be over 100 mph.

The deputy then turned and attempted to catch up to the car, which continued to speed away from the deputy, passing through a stop sign without stopping, almost causing a crash, the report said.

As the chase continued, the deputy said they saw the car pass through numerous stop signs, force numerous vehicles off the roadway and cause a bicyclist to jump off their bike and out of the way for fear of being hit.

The car was traveling at more than 70 mph in a 30 mph zone before stopping at a red light at the intersection of Hart Drive and Bayshore Road, the report said. The deputy activated their lights to signal to the driver to stop.

This caused the car to speed off through the intersection, almost causing two crashes, the report said. The deputy continued to pursue, but was told to cancel the pursuit, as the chase was becoming dangerous.

The car was then tracked to a subdivision off Indian Creek Drive, and the car was located at a cul-de-sac. The car then began driving head-on at the deputy's vehicle, the report said. The deputy turned their vehicle hard to the right and entered a ditch to avoid the collision.

Afterwards, another deputy saw the car speed by and was able to identify the driver as Angel Gutierrez, 28. The deputy was able to identify Gutierrez due to their involvement in arresting Gutierrez just weeks prior, the report said.

On Sunday, deputies made contact with Gutierrez at a camper in North Fort Myers and placed him under arrest.

Gutierrez faces charges of aggravated assault on specified personnel, fleeing/eluding a law enforcement officer, reckless driving and failing to register a motor vehicle.

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