A Lady Lake man was arrested after damaging Sunoco property when fleeing from a traffic stop and running through the woods to avoid being caught.
An officer observed the driver of a bronze GMC pickup truck, later identified as 22-year-old Eric Lee Lutz, at the light in the northbound lanes at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 27/441 and Dixie Avenue North around 6:55 p.m. Monday, Ma 12, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department. The vehicle did a “burn out” before accelerating from being stopped at the red light.
The officer made a U-turn, and upon reaching the spot where the truck was about 10 seconds earlier, the smoke was still thick. Fresh skid marks were visible at the intersection, as well. He tried to catch up to the vehicle but was stopped at the red light at the intersection with Eagles Nest, the report said.
The officer then saw the truck traveling at a high rate of speed, weaving in and out of traffic. He alerted the Lady Lake Police Department and continued trying to catch up to the vehicle when the light turned green. He reached Sunoco, located at 413 S U.S. Hwy. 441, and observed the truck stopped at the red light, the report said.
This gave the officer a chance to maneuver his patrol vehicle behind the truck. It turned into the Sunoco parking lot, to which the officer followed suit and turned on his emergency lights. He was directly behind the truck with no vehicles or objects in between, clearly indicating his intent to stop the truck, the report said.
At this time, the officer saw the truck take a sharp turn around the store at a high rate of speed, causing its back end to fish tail. The passenger’s side of the truck struck the air tank and vacuum on the east side of the parking lot. Upon doing so, the tank was partially removed from its foundation, sustaining dents and disabling the tank, the report said.
This was about $5,500 worth of damage. The truck’s right taillamp was damaged, along with the passenger rear of the truck’s bed, the report said.
Due to agency policy, the officer stayed at Sunoco with the damaged tank until an LLPD officer arrived on scene for a crash report. Several LLPD officers were close by and watched the truck as it traveled through the city in a reckless manner, showing complete disregard for persons and property. In addition, two calls were placed to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office dispatch reporting the reckless driver, advising the truck almost struck their vehicle traveling on the wrong side of the road, the report said.
Shortly after, the officer was told the truck had just crashed into a tree, and Lutz fled. The truck struck a vehicle and some trees, ending up completely disabled in the middle of a resident’s yard, the report said.
LCSO units subsequently responded to the residence of the truck’s registered owner. She advised that the person who may have it was her boyfriend, Lutz. Multiple witnesses on scene stated they saw a person matching his description crash and exit the vehicle, proceeding to flee on foot into the wooded area. Lutz’ shoe was found near the truck, with the other located later a few yards away, the report said.
A perimeter was established, and a K-9 track was conducted with a LCSO K-9 unit. The officer stayed with the truck and noticed the driver’s door was wide open with a black iPhone lying on the floor. To identify a suspect, the officer dialed emergency services from the phone, the report said.
The dispatcher confirmed the number of the phone belonged to Lutz. The officer also saw a photo on the lock screen to be of Lutz and his girlfriend, the report said.
Due to the state of the vehicle, the officer asked a tow truck to take it from the scene. He took an inventory of the truck, during which he found a wallet containing Lutz’ license and cards bearing his name. He also found a few paycheck stubs with his name and a bottle of pink Smirnoff vodka in the center console. It contained a small amount of vodka, presumably previously consumed, the report said.
The K-9 track yielded nothing and was called off. While the officer was waiting for a tow truck to finish loading the vehicle, dispatch advised that they got a call from Lutz’ girlfriend’s friend who was at Lutz’ residence. She stated he was there having an argument with the parties on scene, the report said.
After obtaining approval from LCSO, the officer responded to the residence. He was approached by several witnesses who stated Lutz “put his hands” on the complainant, to which they intervened, causing Lutz to flee on foot into the woods. Officers began to search the immediate area, the report said.
During this time, officers were approached by a homeowner who advised a man just entered her trailer without permission. She was unable to get inside, as it felt as though someone was holding the door shut. The officer confirmed Lutz was in the residence using the homeowner’s camera from inside the trailer, the report said.
Several officers approached the hallway where Lutz was located upon opening the door. Commands were given for him to surrender multiple times, even addressing him by name, to which he did not comply. More commands to come out of the room with his hands up were given along with identification as law enforcement, to which he continued to defy orders, the report said.
Due to Lutz’ continued resistance and incompliance, the LCSO K-9 was released into the residence. Lutz yelled to not release the dog and that he was coming out. The K-9 was then recalled, and Lutz was apprehended, the report said.
The officer was able to positively identify Lutz as the driver he saw driving the truck at the time of the offenses. Additionally, his body was covered in thorns, scratches and dirt, consistent with running through the dense woods nearby. He advised an officer that he “only ran once” when told the handcuffs would not be loosened until he was secured in the patrol vehicle due to him running twice, the report said.
Lutz was placed in back of the patrol vehicle, to which the officer took him to the Lake County Jail. During transport, he would make comments such as, “Did you get my phone from the truck?” He also made other statements about his participation in the events but then would claim the truck was stolen because he was not driving. He got all his injuries from “falling on the ground,” the report said.
Once at the jail, Lutz started to complain of pain in various areas of his body. He was taken to Waterman Hospital to receive medical attention. He was admitted to the hospital due to the injuries sustained during the crash, the report said.
Lutz was ultimately charged with aggravated flee to elude involving property damage, leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage over $50, reckless driving (property damage) and resisting an officer without violence. He was also issued citations for operating a diesel-powered motor vehicle which emits visible emissions more than five continuous seconds and open container. He was taken to jail with bond set at $50,000.