VIDEOS/PHOTOS: At approximately 2:44 a.m. on Saturday, May 18, 2024, a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) deputy attempted a traffic stop on a 2014 BMW X1 for a traffic violation on Ulmerton Road near Railroad Avenue. The driver, 41-year-old Willie Lee Daniels, initially stopped for deputies but quickly conducted a U-turn and fled the traffic stop at a high rate of speed. Daniels fled, traveling north on Seminole Boulevard from Ulmerton Road. According to PCSO, the deputy did not pursue Daniels. He deactivated his lights and sirens and resumed normal driving.
The vehicle failure to yield and flee the scene, prompted multiple deputies to track the vehicle. The PCSO helicopter “Eagle” was dispatched to assist in tracking the fleeing vehicle.