Homeless Man Arrested After Chase In Stolen Car

A homeless man was arrested Saturday after he stole a car and was briefly chased by a Manatee County Sheriff's Office deputy.

Anthony J. Saffo, 24, and a passenger were spotted just before 2 p.m. in a stolen vehicle in the 2600 block of 26th Street West and followed by a deputy, according to a sheriff's office report. Saffo pulled into a driveway in the 2200 block of 25th Avenue West, and when the deputy's car pulled up alongside it in an attempt to block Saffo from exiting the driver's door, he backed the car into the side of the deputy's car and sped away.

The deputy then chased Saffo's vehicle at speeds of up to 50 mph for about 90 seconds until he stopped at the 400 block of 23rd Avenue West and fled on foot into the Sheridan Place Apartments. Saffo was cornered by deputies inside the apartment complex and surrendered. The passenger stayed inside the car and was detained.

The stolen car belonged to a 65-year-old Largo man.

Saffo was not injured, the report states, and damage to both cars was minimal.