John Martin appears in bond court in Broward County.
After leading deputies on a pursuit across Broward County, pulling a gun on them at the airport, before fleeing again and crashing, a Fort Myers man claimed he remembers none of it because he was high on Fentanyl, investigators said.
John Paul Martin, 63, was spotted about 11 p.m. Sept. 1 after a license plate reader near the toll booth on the east end of Alligator Alley alerted Broward Sheriff’s deputies that the car was stolen in Fort Myers, according to the arrest report.
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Deputies began to follow the car that was driving the speed limit on Interstate 595 all the way to Terminal Three at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
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When a Miami-Dade Police helicopter and police K9 patrols were in place, deputies used a loudspeaker to order the driver out of the car.
Martin slowly got out and pointed a handgun at two of the deputies who were less than 15 feet away. One yelled “gun” over the loudspeaker and Martin got back in the car and drove off, the report stated.
He sped north on Federal Highway cutting off cars and driving on several sidewalks until he entered the parking lot of the Original Pancake House at 2851 N. Federal Highway and struck a fence, deputies said.
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Martin ran off across Federal Highway but was caught by a K9 and several officers. In the crashed car, investigators said they found a black Smith & Wesson .357 handgun that was also reported stolen.
He was arrested and questioned about 4 a.m. Sept. 2. Martin said the car belonged to his supervisor in Fort Myers, but he didn’t know how long he had it or where he got the gun or any details of what just happened because he was high on Fentanyl, the report stated.
Martin remains in the Broward County Jail on bonds totaling $9,500 charged with six crimes including aggravated assault on an officer, grand theft auto, and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, records show.
