Fentanyl-laced pills discarded during Fort Walton Beach chase: OCSO

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. – The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) reports two men were arrested in Fort Walton Beach after allegedly fleeing from deputies and discarding fentanyl-laced pills during the pursuit.

The OCSO said the chase began after members of its Multi-Agency Drug Task Force attempted a traffic stop on a red 2021 Jeep Wrangler in Fort Walton Beach. The OCSO said that Tyrese Davis, 23, used the Jeep to ram an OCSO vehicle to get away.

Investigators reportedly followed Davis to the area of Odd Fellow Road in Fort Walton Beach, where the OCSO said his passenger, Malik Coward, 18, began discarding clear bags of prescription tablets from the vehicle while it continued to flee.

While on Odd Fellow Road, the suspects are said to have abandoned the vehicle and began to run. Both were caught following a short foot pursuit, the OCSO said.

The tablets, which reportedly appeared to be prescription tablets, were collected and identified as counterfeit oxycodone tablets that tested positive for the presence of fentanyl. In all, the tablets are said to weigh more than 500 grams.

Davis has been charged with Trafficking in Fentanyl, Fleeing and Eluding, Destruction of Evidence, and Resisting Arrest without Violence.

Coward has been charged with Trafficking in Fentanyl, Destruction of Evidence, and Resisting Arrest without Violence.