BIG PINE KEY, Fla. – Monroe County sheriff's deputies are searching for a man who they said crashed a stolen Mercedes into a canal in Big Pine Key before fleeing the area in a stolen truck.
Monroe County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Becky Herrin said the man is believed to have stolen the 2007 white Mercedes from a friend with whom he was traveling.
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Herrin said a sergeant spotted the vehicle about 1:45 a.m. Monday going 120 to 130 mph. The sergeant followed the vehicle.
Herrin said the deputy saw the car turn quickly onto County Road and then found barricades broken at the end of Croton Lane.
The car was sinking quickly in the canal, about 100 feet from the barricades, Herrin said.
Divers were called to the area and the car was removed about 6:30 a.m. No one was found in the vehicle.
Herrin said authorities received a call from a person who lives nearby. The man told detectives that he went downstairs about 5:30 a.m. and found his wallet, truck keys and dark blue Ford F-150 truck gone. The man also said that he saw wet footprints on his front porch.
Detectives believe that the man fled north out of the Keys in the pickup.
The Florida Highway Patrol and the Key West Police Department are assisting in the investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call police.