ARCADIA, Fla. (WFLA) — A traffic stop in Arcadia took a sudden turn Tuesday when video captured a DeSoto County deputy chasing a wanted man around a vehicle before taking him into custody.
According to the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office, the deputy pulled over a vehicle on Southwest County Road 761 after noticing its tag had been expired since March 2025.
During the stop, the driver acknowledged that she knew the tag was expired but said she was trying to take the vehicle to a family member’s home, according to the video. She was issued a citation for operating an unregistered motor vehicle.
Authorities said a passenger in the vehicle identified himself as Nick Villegas, but the sheriff’s office was unable to find any record matching that name.
When the deputy moved toward the passenger side of the vehicle, the man ran around the car and then fled into roadside brush, the video shows. The deputy pursued him, tackled him and placed him in handcuffs.
The sheriff’s office said the man was carrying marijuana and a pipe with methamphetamine residue.
Investigators later identified him as Michael Villegas, who DCSO said is an eight-time convicted felon with multiple active warrants out of DeSoto, Charlotte and Sarasota counties.
Villegas was taken to the DeSoto County Jail, where he was charged with resisting an officer, giving a false name while lawfully detained, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, in addition to the outstanding warrants.
