TAFT, Fla. — A group of suspects who allegedly robbed the Florida Mall crashed on I-4 while trying to flee deputies Saturday afternoon, snarling traffic for hours near Walt Disney World, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies crossed paths with the robbery suspects—whom deputies said were driving erratically—while on the way to respond to two other robberies in Taft around 1:45 p.m., officials said.
When deputies tried to pull the group over, they fled the area, starting a chase that ended with a crash on I-4 near World Drive, deputies said.
During the chase, the suspects entered Osceola County and deputies apprehended them with the help of the Florida Highway Patrol and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, deputies said.
The Sheriff’s Office said the deputies initially thought the suspects were related to the two robberies in Taft and not the Florida Mall—but determined otherwise after the crash, officials said.
Deputies are still searching for the suspects in the Taft robberies, according to the Sheriff’s Office.