LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- The man who Cape Coral Police say led them on a bizarre chase involving a stolen police car that ended in a fiery crash is now in jail.
We're waiting to confirm this morning if David Fernandes will be in court Thursday morning for his first appearance. But we are getting our first look at Fernandes in a new mugshot showing him still in his hospital gown.
Fernandes has been in the hospital since Monday night, when police say he kicked out the window of a squad car during a possible DUI investigation following a two-vehicle crash. That's when police say Fernandes jumped into a nearby volunteer police car and took off, eventually crashing it into a pole.
The incident has the department taking a look at its policies and procedures to make sure something like this doesn't happen again. "The volunteer actually attempted to stop the suspect, and while we are appreciative of that volunteer's effort, we don't want them to put themselves in harms way," says Sgt. Dana Coston of the Cape Coral Police Department.
Police believe Fernandes wanted to harm himself. They say he told EMS workers he "wanted to kill himself."
The report says he also admitted to drinking before it all went down. He's facing 15 charges.
