Joshua Travon Oliver {BSO}
By Ryan Yousefi
A man faces multiple felony charges, including fleeing law enforcement, after leading police on a dangerous high-speed pursuit through Broward County.
On May 21, an officer from the Margate Police Department on a routine patrol observed an Infiniti sedan at the intersection of Northwest 31st Street and North SR7 that drew his attention due to its dark window tint and a loud modified exhaust.
According to the report, the officer initiated his emergency lights and followed the vehicle as he drove westbound towards the entrance of the Toscana Apartment Complex.
Sensing that the driver was attempting to evade the traffic stop, the officer intensified his pursuit, but as he grew closer, the driver of the vehicle, later identified as Joshua Travon Oliver, 31, of Tamarac, made a U-turn at the complex gate and accelerated back eastbound.
In what the officer deemed in the eventual arrest report a reckless attempt to elude law enforcement, Oliver ran a red light and turned back north on SR7 toward Coral Springs.
Realizing the danger of such high-speed pursuits at night, the officer wrote in the report that he decided to discontinue his attempt at the traffic stop out of concern for the safety of others.
Rather than continuing to chase Oliver, the officer deactivated all emergency equipment and circulated the general area in hopes of relocating Oliver.
Hours later, the officer once again spotted Oliver’s Infiniti at the intersection of Sample Road and Lyons Road but noted in the report that he seemed unaware he had been spotted by law enforcement and drove at an average rate of speed.
Recognizing the need for aerial support, the officer requested assistance from the Broward Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit, who quickly responded and took to the skies, tracking Oliver as he merged onto the Florida Turnpike, traveling southbound.
Records show the pursuit continued west on I-595 and north on the Sawgrass Expressway. Oliver eventually exited onto Pat Salerno Boulevard, turned north on Flamingo Road, and headed east on Oakland Park Boulevard.
After an extensive chase, the report says officers from the Plantation Police Department deployed spike strips to disable Oliver’s vehicle. The tactic was successful, and after driving over the spikes, Oliver’s car stopped at 9400 West Oakland Park Blvd, where a high-risk stop was conducted.
Oliver was arrested and transported to the Broward County Main Jail, where he was released after posting a $7,500 bail.
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