TAMPA, FL, Oct. 30, 2026 — A 41-year-old man is in custody after he rammed a deputy's truck, damaged a city water main and crashed into an apartment building while trying to get away, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said Thursday night.
A deputy tried to stop a silver Nissan near N. 56th Street and Puritan Road at 10:46 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, according to the sheriff's office.
The driver, Stoel Markes Jr., 41, "reversed into the deputy's vehicle, then hit a street sign and a City of Tampa water pipe as he tried to flee," HCSO said. The sheriff's office said he then drove onto a sidewalk at an apartment complex off Heather Lyn Court and struck a building.
He ran on foot, and deputies tracked him down with help from the agency's K9 Unit, HCSO said. The sheriff's office didn't report any injuries in its post.
The charges
HCSO says Markes faces these charges:
- Aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon
- Felony fleeing to elude
- Resisting an officer without violence
- Leaving the scene of a crash with property damage
- Driving while license suspended or revoked (second or subsequent offense)
Charges are accusations, and he's presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The sheriff's office posted video with its announcement on X.
Sources: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office post on X, Oct. 29, 2026.
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