Cape Coral officers arrest man after chase, neighborhood search and drone response

A police chase in Cape Coral on Saturday ended with the arrest of Norman Ewart, who was accused of fleeing from officers during a traffic stop and was later found reportedly hiding in bushes near a home.

Lourie, a neighbor who witnessed the incident, said, "I was out on my lanai. Two cop cars were pulled up on the right-hand side, a couple houses down the street, directly in front of my house."

She described the scene, saying, "There was probably a handful of people out there, and then all of a sudden, I see somebody run, and then somebody run right after him."

Cape Coral police said the chase began after Ewart was pulled over for reckless driving but reportedly drove off. Officers tracked his license plate and found him shirtless, walking out of a Mercedes-Benz and into a home on Southeast 26th Terrace. When police approached, Ewart is accused of refusing to talk before running and jumping over a fence.

Lourie added, "After the drones went up, two other cop cars pulled off from the scene and in a high rate of speed, obviously, they were looking for the guy."

Surveillance video shows police searching near Ewart’s home before locating him reportedly hiding in bushes on Southeast 27th Street.

Ewart told police he fled because he has an outstanding warrant.

Jim Tevlin, another neighbor, said, "The police here, they're pretty good at catching anybody. I don't know why anybody would run here. You might as well just quit."

Lourie also commented, saying, "There’s cops living all over here. So I don’t know, fear for the law will make it wrong, I guess."

Police said Ewart has a suspended license and has been caught 11 times prior to this arrest. He remains in the Lee County Jail and is facing multiple charges.