Florida deputies chase suspect, then save his life

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — One minute, Florida deputies were chasing a suspect. Moments later, they were saving the man’s life after he fell into a canal and nearly drowned.

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Pasco County deputies had pulled over 40-year-year-old Jeral Bornstein early Thursday on suspicion in a retail theft case at a local Walgreens when the Port Richey resident decided to drive away from the scene.

He fled the traffic stop and tried to swerve the Jeep he was driving into a deputy's cruiser, authorities said. After a chase that exceeded 70 mph down a major road, Bornstein exited his vehicle and ran through woods before jumping into a canal, deputies said.

Bornstein began struggling to swim after 50 feet, deputies said. One of the two deputies who had been chasing Bornstein jumped into the canal, pulling him out of the water and performing CPR. In footage from the deputies’ body camera, one deputy can be seen diving into the water and pulling Bornstein to safety.

"By the time I got over to him he was pretty much dead weight," Deputy John Riyad told BayNews9. "He was already unconscious."

Bornstein was taken to a hospital, where he told authorities he fled because he didn't have a driver's license, deputies said.

According to jail records, Bornstein has been arrested 10 other times in Pasco County since 2006, mostly on petty theft charges. After his release from the hospital, he will face charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, driving without a license, fleeing to elude law enforcement and resisting arrest. He also will be cited for speeding.

“He was very grateful when we were at the hospital,” Riyad told Bay News9. “He thanked us for saving his life.”

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