VIDEO: ‘Heart pounding, blood pumping, adrenaline spiking’ foot chase of traveling thieves

STUART, Fla. (CBS12) — Video shows the moments detectives, deputies and an aviation crew apprehended three traveling criminals Monday, after a couple brief foot chases, who allegedly first used stolen credit cards at a Walmart in Port St. Lucie then another Walmart store in Stuart.

The third suspect was taken into custody near the self-checkout registers inside Walmart.

According to one of the men’s affidavit, all three of them are from Broward County, violating the traveling across county lines to commit a burglary statute. Javares Whitehead, Dana Williams and Jamarus Reed each face nine felony counts.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) first identified a BMW X5 traveling in Hobe Sound as a car related to stolen vehicles and vehicle burglaries in Palm Beach County, so multiple units began their surveillance. After briefly losing sight of the suspects, they were spotted again leaving a Port St. Lucie Walmart.

Conducting surveillance from the skies, the aviation crew told ground personnel the BMW was driving recklessly and eventually pulled into a Stuart Walmart, Whitehead’s affidavit said.

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The driver dropped off passengers at the front of the store then backed into a handicapped spot as undercover MCSO detectives followed the suspects inside. These detectives reportedly watched two men attempting to purchase multiple gift cards with several different credit cards. One of them left with a “bag full of newly purchased gift cards.”

It was later revealed some of the stolen cards came from a vehicle burglary of a Range Rover at an LA Fitness parking lot.

With one suspect still in Walmart and the other two in the BMW outside, authorities moved in. The driver and passenger, Williams and Reed, respectively, “immediately” fled at the “first sight” of law enforcement, according to the arrest report.

Ultimately, these two were caught after a short chase as Whitehead was apprehended inside the supercenter.

A driver’s license, PADI card, Mission Lane Visa, two Wells Fargo Visas, Bank of America Visa, American Express card and 19 $100 Visa gift cards fraudulently purchased were recovered by MCSO officials in the BMW, the affidavit said.

Following the apprehensions, Reed and Williams were uncooperative with questioning; however, Whitehead did cooperate.

The record showed he confessed to MCSO officials how they stopped by an LA Fitness, where Whitehead discovered an unlocked Range Rover, opened it then stole a wallet in the glove box. Then the same suspect admitted they tried using the stolen credit cards at both Walmart stores.

The crew’s charges include burglary, six counts of possession of stolen credit cards, felony fraudulent use of credit cards and criminal use of person identification, according to the arrest report.

One of the suspect’s was wearing a hoodie saying “Make Money Not Friends.”