Man who led police on a wild pursuit in stolen tow truck takes plea deal

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The man who led police on a lengthy pursuit in a stolen Maryland Department of Transportation tow truck has earlier this year taken a plea deal. 

Flavio Cesar Lanuza, 27, was facing at minimum vehicle theft and first-degree assault charges following a wild police pursuit in February.  The chase began in Prince George’s County and ended in Montgomery County, with Lanuza striking nearly a dozen vehicles along the way. 

Under the plea deal announced Thursday, Lanuza pleaded guilty to second-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, fleeing and eluding marked police vehicles by failing to stop a vehicle resulting in bodily injuries, and 11 counts of failure to return to the scene of an accident. 

Lanuza faces 14 years and 10 months in prison. He will be sentenced on Dec. 12. 

Additionally, Lanuza still faces charges in Prince George's County for the same police chase. 

Shortly after 5 p.m. on Feb. 16, Maryland State Police College Park responded to a hit-and-run crash involving four cars at the inner loop of I-495 at the Greenbelt Metro Station. Lanuza was driving a white Ford Ranger involved in the crash. 

According to preliminary reports, Lanuza fled the scene of the crash, drove into the Park and Ride of the Greenbelt Metro Station, where he went off the road and struck a guardrail. A state-issued tow truck responded to the scene to check on Lanuza and ensure he was okay.

Lanuza got out of the Ford truck he was driving and stole the state-issued tow truck. Troopers from the College Park Barrack attempted to stop him along the outer loop of I-495 causing a second collision. Lanuza hit two vehicles and continued to flee. 

Troopers briefly stopped the pursuit to check on the drivers of the two vehicles. The tow truck is equipped with GPS and later that evening at 5:50 p.m. officers from other districts located the tow truck on Briggs Chaney Road in the Greenmount Road area of Calverton, Maryland. 

As police began to encroach on Lanuza, his driving became more evasive, video of the chase showed. Lanuza drove through power lines, rammed a Maryland State Police vehicle, pushed a vehicle into oncoming traffic causing a head-on collision while trying to flee, drove along the opposite side of the road striking multiple vehicles, all before the vehicle got stuck in a ditch at 6:30 p.m. 

According to initial reports, Lanuza struck 13 vehicles and two law enforcement cars, all transported to area hospitals with minor injuries.