High Speed Chase Concludes On Florida Golf Course

Whether it was a one-time freak incident or not, you better believe the golfers taking in a round Saturday at Heritage Oaks in Sarasota, Fla. will be keeping their heads on a swivel next time they’re on the links. That’s because the tournament held there as part of the Suncoast Superboat Grand Prix was interrupted by the conclusion of a high-speed chase that saw golfers diving behind trees to avoid being mowed by a runaway Jeep Cherokee.↵

↵↵All in all, not the most serene of outings for those involved. For the driver leading the cops onto the course, at least you can say the course would usually be more clear than it was, had a tournament not been going on. Still, that terrain can’t be the easiest to negotiate in some areas. ↵

↵↵⇥Witnesses say a man being chased by sheriff’s deputies drove right onto the green and directly at hundreds of golfers.↵⇥↵⇥“I was out here on 18 green...that’s when I saw a Cherokee coming down the fairway with two cop cars behind in hot pursuit,” says pro golfer Joe Angelo. ↵⇥

↵⇥↵⇥“Went through the green, scattered the foursome that was there, and then went towards the clubhouse and back around, I believe twice before crashing through the main gate,” says witness Jaime Wood.↵⇥

↵↵↵Police had tried to apprehend the suspect, 55-year-old Issa Alyan, the night before on a domestic violence charge at his home, but he got in a car and rammed two deputies cars while fleeing. The pursuit began again the next day when Alyan returned to his home, where the cops were waiting. Deputies, having been instructed to take any measure necessary to stop Alyan, eventually blocked the exits to the course and cornered the Jeep in a row of shrubs, where authorities were able to wrestle him from his car. ↵

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