Carjacking suspect arrested after taking trooper’s cruiser

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Florida Highway Patrol says a 22-year-old man stole a cruiser from a trooper who’d stopped to help him and led law enforcement officials on an 11-mile (17-kilometre) chase.

An incident report says the trooper spotted a “medically distressed” man on the side of Florida’s Turnpike Thursday afternoon. Authorities say that when the trooper went to get water for him, Shane Jensen jumped into the patrol car and sped away.

As Jensen drove north, Osceola County sheriff’s deputies deployed stop sticks. Jenson avoided them but eventually stopped and ran into the woods. He was arrested a short time later.

Authorities say Jensen carjacked a teenager in Clearwater on Wednesday. In addition to those charges, he’s now facing charges of stealing a patrol car and reckless driving.

Records don’t list a lawyer for Jenson.