Tarpon Springs Armed Robbery Leads To Pursuit Into Polk County

TARPON SPRINGS, FL — A Tarpon Springs woman was robbed at gunpoint after being followed home from her workplace Sunday morning. The robbers were apprehended following a cross-county pursuit that ended in Polk County.

According to Tarpon Springs police, officers responded to the 1000 block of Lancer Lane at 7:50 a.m. The victim, who is not being identified, told detectives that she was apparently followed home from her workplace in Tampa. Once she arrived home, one of the robbers approached and pointed a handgun at her. He then took items from her while a second robber took items from her car.

The robbers left the scene and were spotted by a Tarpon Springs police patrol unit which attempted to stop the robbers. The robber fled and a pursuit ensued. The Tarpon Springs patrol unit ended the pursuit when it crashed at East Lake Road and Tampa Road in Palm Harbor.

Pinellas County Sheriff's Office deputies picked up the chase, which took them onto eastbound Interstate 4 and ended in Polk County at the Kathleen Road exit.

The Florida Highway Patrol joined the pursuit and a trooper used a PIT (pursuit intervention maneuver) maneuver to force the robbers' car to stop. The PIT maneuver is a pursuit tactic in which the pursuing car forces a fleeing car to turn sideways abruptly, causing the driver to lose control and stop. A trooper received minor injuries while performing the PIT maneuver.

Two men and one women were taken into custody. Tarpon Springs police detectives have served arrest warrants for Travon Darren Sullivan, 20, and Ralph Peeples, Jr. 19, both of Orlando. They are incarcerated at the Polk County Jail, awaiting transport back to Pinellas County.

The Tarpon Springs police officer involved in the crash was not injured.