LCSO deputy fired after internal investigation reveals false reporting that led to suspect facing felony charges

NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — A vehicle pursuit in North Fort Myers led to the termination of a Lee County Sheriff's Office deputy and the suspension of another after an internal affairs investigation. 

On April 25, 2026, Deputy Hollow observed a maroon Hyundai driving recklessly in the Suncoast Community of North Fort Myers. When the vehicle failed to stop for a traffic stop, a high-speed pursuit involving Hollow and other deputies ensued along Bayshore Road.

According to details within an IA report, as the chase progressed, the shift supervisor, Sergeant Jack Maglione, monitored the radio and explicitly ordered all units to "10-8" (discontinue the pursuit and return to service) on three separate occasions. Despite acknowledging the commands, the deputies continued tracking the vehicle as it veered into the Indian Creek Community.

Once inside the residential neighborhood, the deputies located the Hyundai at a cul-de-sac on Sam Snead Lane. Shortly after, Deputy Hollow transmitted via radio that the driver had attempted to ram his patrol vehicle head-on, claiming an Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) and asserting that he had been forced into a drainage ditch to avoid a collision. Based on these claims, Hollow generated an Open Booking Sheet to formally charge the driver.

However, a subsequent investigation by Detective Edward Hendricks dismantled Hollow’s account. Neighborhood surveillance footage and intersection cameras captured the encounter and revealed that the maroon Hyundai remained in its proper lane of traffic while navigating around the cul-de-sac island, and that Deputy Hollow's patrol vehicle never made an evasive maneuver, left the roadway, or entered a ditch.

Confronted with his own Body-Worn Camera (BWC) footage during the IA interviews, Deputy Hollow admitted his written statements were highly inaccurate, according to the IA report. He also admitted to secondary safety violations captured on his BWC after the incident, which showed him driving 68 mph in a 35-mph zone on Coon Road and blowing through a four-way stop sign at 58 mph while distracted, investigators reported.

On July 8, 2026, Sheriff Carmine Marceno signed off on the final disciplinary mandates:

• Deputy First Class Gabriel Hollow: His appointment was officially withdrawn (terminated). The Discipline Review Committee substantiated violations for Insubordination (Failing to comply with a lawful order), Improper Conduct: Untruthfulness/Falsification of Documents, and Careless Handling of an Agency Vehicle.

• Deputy Jonathan Reid: Received a 4-day suspension without pay and 6 months of disciplinary probation. The committee substantiated charges of Insubordination and Neglect of Duty for failing to properly monitor his sheriff's radio. Reid claimed he had "tunnel vision" and his radio volume may have been turned down.

The driver of the maroon Hyundai was identified as Angel Gutierrez Sr., 28. Following the pursuit, Deputy Hollow located and arrested Gutierrez on April 26, 2026, booked him into the Lee County Jail, and charged him with Fleeing to Elude, Reckless Driving, and the fabricated Aggravated Assault charge. Once the surveillance video proved the assault never occurred, the State Attorney's Office officially dropped the aggravated assault charge.

While Gutierrez remained locked up in jail for the chase, detectives were concurrently investigating a string of commercial thefts at Southern Gulf Coast Inc. on Slater Road. Video surveillance footage from April 23 and April 27 showed a Hispanic male driving a matching maroon Hyundai stealing thousands of dollars' worth of spray-painted gas cans, fuel, air hoses, and extension cords from commercial trucks.

On April 28, 2026—while Gutierrez was already behind bars—investigators executed a search warrant at his home. According to court documents, they recovered the allegedly stolen goods, including uniquely color-coded gas cans in plain view. Though discovered completely independently after his incarceration, Gutierrez was slapped with an additional five counts of unarmed burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and one count of grand theft. He remains behind bars.

WINK Investigates reached out to Hollow. A family member said he will not be talking at this time. 

Gutierrez, as well as his legal counsel, did not respond to a request for comment.