Tiktok star caught on police cam triggering chase and later boasted about wealth
‘Mikula advised his state of mind was that he is young, makes a lot of money, and has a fast car and he can do whatever he wants,’ Florida Highway Trooper says
A TikTok star from Florida allegedly started a police chase on purpose and later bragged about his wealth as he was arrested, telling the officers that his fame and wealth made him immune from prosecution.
Damaury Mikula has often shared content on his TikTok account featuring his Dodge Challenger, a car with a potential price tag of $60,000. The 18-year-old has more than 4m followers on the social media platform and he reportedly makes around $400,000 to $450,000 annually.
He was recorded by a police dashcam being chased by Pasco County Police on Friday. The chase took place around 10.30am as Mr Mikula allegedly “burned out” his vehicle at a stop sign to provoke officers into following him.
Florida Highway Patrol later shared footage of his arrest that took place in front of his home. Mr Mikula ran a red light after burning out his tires and didn’t pull over when police pursued him.
After speeding off, Mr Mikula drove into a residential neighbourhood, and police were able to identify him after tagging him. When police went to his home to arrest him, he bragged about his vast amounts of money as police read him his Miranda rights.
“Mr Mikula advised his state of mind was that he is young, makes a lot of money, and has a fast car and he can do whatever he wants,” Florida Highway Patrol Trooper W Kelly told WFLA. “Mr Mikula admitted that was a foolish way of thinking and not a good way to live.”
“Mr Mikula advised he wanted to do something fun for three seconds, and it cost him,” the officer added. The teenager reportedly also added that he considered driving onto the freeway to avoid the authorities, but decided against it as it could get him into deeper trouble.
The Florida Highway Patrol added that he told officers that his car was in his garage and that he gave police permission to tow it away. He was taken to Pasco County Jail where he was charged with eluding police with disregard of safety to persons or property, reckless driving, and racing on a highway.
He was released on bond on Saturday.