A Leesburg man was arrested on drug charges after being chased down with marijuana in his clear backpack and MDMA in his pocket.
An officer spotted 20-year-old Carlos Manuel Nunez Avila walking south on Sunnyside Drive around 9:24 a.m. Nov. 22, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. He had a clear backpack and used a black shirt to cover more than half his face, attempting to conceal his identity. It was pulled over his face, which covered from his eyes down, the report said.
After seeing this, the officer turned on his overhead lights and tried to approach Nunez Avila who began running toward an intersection on Sunnyside Drive. The officer gave him clear verbal commands to stop running, but he continued to do so. The officer got back into his patrol vehicle and followed him as he ran on Sunnyside Drive toward Oakland Avenue, continuing to give him clear commands to stop running, the report said.
Nunez Avila instead ran into an open field next to 334 Sunnyside Dr. At that point, the officer exited his patrol vehicle and began pursuing him on foot while continuing to command him to stop running. Nunez Avila proceeded to run behind a residence where he fell to the ground, the report said.
While on the ground, the officer tried to place Nunez Avila in custody. Nunez Avila was able to stand back up but was tactically taken to the ground again where he was finally put in custody. His clear backpack allowed the officer to see two plastic bags containing a green leady substance consistent with marijuana, the report said.
Nunez Avila was then walked back to the patrol vehicle where the officer searched his person. In the backpack were two clear Ziploc bags containing 28.5 and 11.9 grams of marijuana which field tested positive for such. He did not have a medical marijuana card at the time of this incident, the report said.
Additionally, a white plastic bag containing white powder was found in Nunez Avila’s left pant pocket. This tested positive for MDMA, or ecstasy. The recovered MDMA weighed about 5.2 grams, the report said.
Nunez Avila was subsequently taken to the LPD for booking paperwork, where he began vomiting. EMS responded and took him to UF Health Leesburg Hospital, located at 600 E. Dixie Ave., as a precaution, the report said.
After being medically cleared, the native of Puerto Rico was transported to Lake County Jail on charges of possession of MDMA, possession of marijuana, wearing mask/hood/device to conceal and resisting (obstructing without violence). Bond was set at $6,500.