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Florida Man Caught In Swamp By Kissing Dog After Evading Cops
He could hide from the cops, but he couldn't hide from a kissing dog.
He could hide from the cops, but he couldn't hide from a kissing dog.
A Florida man who evaded police Tuesday after a high-speed chase got caught by a police dog who found him in a swamp and greeted him with kisses that were caught on camera.
The incident started when police spoke with Paul Daniel Smith, 34, while responding to a call about a domestic disturbance in a Spring Hill park. Police noticed the tag on Smith's Ford F-150 pickup truck was stolen, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office. When police attempted to arrest him, Smith allegedly battered a deputy and then fled with a handcuff on one wrist.
Smith kept driving after police spotted him on the highway, before pulling over and fleeing on foot. He attempted to hide in a swamp — but he was no match for Knox, the sheriff's dog.
Body cam footage captured the moments that police found Smith submerged in water and mud up to his chin. Knox sniffed Smith out through a densely wooded area, and then ambushed him with doggy kisses.
In the video, Smith asks an officer not to "cuff him too tight." Then, he asks to be "tased" so he could go to the hospital. Deputies took him into custody without incident, although he still had a complaint about the cuffs.
“Come on man, you’re squeezin’ them,” he said after being handcuffed.
Smith faces charges of fleeing to elude, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and violation of probation. He was transported to a nearby hospital for medical clearance.
Jail records show he has previously been arrested on drug possession, petty theft and scheming to commit fraud charges.
Smith's passenger in the truck, Tara Berger, jumped out as well and was caught by deputies, according to the Tampa Bay Times. She faces a charge of lying to a law enforcement officer during a felony investigation.
As for Knox, he was spotted wagging his tail Wednesday at a press conference.
[Photo: Pasco County Sheriff’s Department]
