Elijah Kenneth Norton. {BSO}
By Ryan Yousefi
A man faces multiple felony charges, including grand theft, after being apprehended by K-9 officers following a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle.
On July 5, a Margate Police Department undercover officer followed a vehicle after observing it exhibit reckless behavior at Rock Island Road and Royal Palm Boulevard.
According to the report, the officer observed the vehicle, later found to be driven by a man identified as Elijah Kenneth Norton, 18, of Margate, rapidly accelerate southbound before coming to a halt at a red light at the intersection of Northwest 18th Street and Rock Island Road.
Once the light turned green, the officer witnessed the driver accelerate again, exhibiting erratic driving patterns by swerving in and out of the two lanes.
In fear for the public’s safety, the officer details in the arrest report how he immediately activated emergency lights and sirens in an attempt to stop the vehicle at the intersection of Margate Boulevard and Rock Island Road, but that the driver fled in a southbound direction.
Records show the officer decided to deactivate the lights and slow his pursuit, prioritizing public safety.
The report shows Norton continued to flee at increasing speeds, turning right onto West Atlantic Boulevard, and due to his excessive speed, mistakenly entered the eastbound lanes of travel against the normal flow of traffic, leading to a near-collision with two oncoming vehicles, forcing them to swerve.
After narrowly avoiding several high-impact collisions, Norton turned right onto Northwest 76th Avenue and left onto Strawberry Lane, heading westbound.
The pursuit eventually reached a dead end, and Norton abandoned the stolen vehicle and fled on foot, triggering a search involving multiple Margate officers and K-9 units.
After a tense search, records show Norton was located by two K-9 dogs hiding under a car in a carport near 7700 Margate Blvd.
Police detained Norton, who his mother later identified via a phone call after she confirmed a distinct triple cross tattoo on the right side of his neck that he did not possess a valid driver’s license.
Authorities contacted the owner of the stolen vehicle, who confirmed the theft had occurred in Coral Springs.
The owner wanted to press charges, and Coral Springs Police handled the subsequent stolen vehicle report.
During the arrest, law enforcement discovered a black backpack in Norton’s possession that contained various items, including a wallet belonging to another individual with a Florida driver’s license, social security card, and credit cards.
A small black screwdriver, several pairs of blue latex gloves, and a pill bottle were also found inside the backpack.
Norton was placed under arrest and transported to the Broward County Main Jail.
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