3 in Coast Guard custody after leading authorities on 300-mile chase in the Gulf of Mexico
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Three suspects are in custody after leading authorities on a 300-mile chase in the Gulf of Mexico.
According to a Lee County Sheriff's Office news release, authorities were alerted to a boat theft in Fort Myers Beach, about 125 miles south of Tampa, early Thursday.
When officers arrived, the suspects allegedly attempted to ram their vessel with the stolen 36-foot Invincible. The sheriff's office says the suspects then fled, outrunning local and federal authorities in an open fishing boat capable of speeds over 70 mph.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Authorities chased the suspects for over 20 hours off the Florida coast. Petty Officer 3rd Class Ashley Johnson tells the News-Press (http://newspr.es/1mjvgJy ) that they eventually were stopped about 65 nautical miles off the coast of Cuba.
The Coast Guard is bringing the suspects and the stolen boat back to Florida.
___
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Information from: The (Fort Myers, Fla.) News-Press, http://www.news-press.com