JUPITER, Fla. (WFLA) — The suspect accused of stealing a luxurious yacht tried to evade regulation enforcement in a Florida waterway on Monday earlier than finally getting arrested.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Workplace started its pursuit of the 66-foot stolen luxurious yacht as the person was touring alongside the Intracoastal Waterway, fleeing from authorities.
The dockmaster reported the boat stolen from the Blowing Rocks Marina in Jupiter, prompting deputies to take their patrol vessel and encompass the yacht.
“Martin County floor items, marine items, SWAT crew members, and prison investigations detectives are all in place and getting ready to board the vessel,” the sheriff’s workplace initially posted on Fb.
The sheriff’s workplace ran the yacht aground Monday afternoon, pushing it into the mangroves close to the Hope Sound Bridge, earlier than disabling the boat. NBC affiliate WPTV stated the pursuit lasted about an hour and a half.
The video exhibits the damaged glass and residue on the boat’s inside as officers tried to get the suspect off the boat.
Three hours later, officers introduced that the suspect, 29-year-old Nikolai Vilkov, a Russian nationwide, had been captured. Deputies stated he was in search of asylum when he entered the U.S. in 2022.
WPTV stated Vilkov was first noticed by police in Jupiter when he stole a towboat that ran aground on a sandbar earlier that day. That is when he made his technique to the marina, casually interacting with others on the dock.
Martin County officers imagine the suspect slept on the yacht docked on the marina, utilizing the captain’s towels and crusing off that afternoon.
Vilkov claimed he didn’t communicate English, so a Russian interpreter from the Division of Homeland Safety arrived on the scene to translate and help with the investigation.
In a press convention on Tuesday, the sheriff stated that whereas a motive has not been uncovered, he believes he was going to maneuver the boat to the Bahamas for smuggling.
Vilkov’s spouse and daughter, who left the nation legally to return to Russia, haven’t but been questioned for added data on the suspect.
He at present has an ICE detainer and is being charged with a number of crimes, together with grand theft auto, WPTV reported. Vilkov will possible serve a jail sentence earlier than he’s deported, in response to the sheriff’s workplace.
