Destin man charged with felony fleeing and eluding

DESTIN, Fla. — A Destin man found himself blocked in by Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office patrol cars shortly after deputies said they flattened all his car’s tires with spike strips, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has announced.

According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), Adrian Rico Garcia, 52, tried to evade a traffic stop by deputies. He reportedly has an active felony warrant.

According to the OCSO, deputies were responding to a prowler call in the area of the Emerald Lakes subdivision when Rico Garcia was reportedly spotted in a silver Honda. He allegedly ignored an attempted traffic stop that started on Highway 98 near Regatta Bay Boulevard and continued west for approximately five miles.

Even after his tires were flattened, he continued to drive, then tried to ram a patrol vehicle intentionally, the OCSO said. Pursuing units converged and did a successful rolling roadblock, stopping the vehicle in the area in front of Harbor Docks restaurant.

Rico Garcia refused to get out, turn off the car, or show his hands, the OCSO said. Deputies broke the windows and took him into custody.

Rico Garcia is charged with felony resisting an officer with violence, felony fleeing and eluding, and felony violation of probation, the OCSO said.

The OCSO said the suspect and one deputy suffered minor cuts and abrasions from the shattered window. Rico Garcia is being held without bond at the Okaloosa County Jail in Crestview.