LAKELAND — A man and woman driving a car that was reported stolen from Apopka were arrested after an alert deputy spotted the vehicle on South Florida Avenue, according to authorities.

Jonathan Tucker, 39, of Ocoee, and Lois Bailey, 38, of Winter Haven, face multiple felony charges in connection to the theft of the Toyota Corolla, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

A PCSO deputy saw the Corolla driving north on South Florida Avenue in Lakeland and alerted the Lakeland Police Department, K-9 units and PCSO Aviation Unit prior to attempting to stop the vehicle, the PCSO said.

After the Corolla pulled behind the Amscot business located at 3532 S. Florida Ave., the deputy entered the parking area and stopped his marked patrol car behind the vehicle, activating the emergency lights and sirens. At that point, the car sped away into a residential area east of South Florida Avenue, the sheriff's office said.

Eventually stopping the Corolla on Carleton Street between Hilltop Avenue South and Polk Avenue South, Tucker fled on foot, according to the PCSO. Bailey was seen throwing a white object as she got out of the car and was arrested, according to the arrest affidavits.

A sheriff's office K-9 unit found Tucker in the backyard of a residence on Polk Avenue South, hiding in heavy bushes, the sheriff's office said.

The white object Bailey had thrown was discovered to be tissue paper containing a glass pipe that tested positive for methamphetamine, according to reports.

Detectives later learned that Bailey had thrown a gun from the vehicle as they were leaving the Amscot parking lot, the PCSO said, adding that the recovered .40-caliber firearm was reported stolen by the Ocoee Police Department.

Bailey has had 16 felony convictions, according to PCSO records. She admitted to throwing the gun out of the car window as they fled, the sheriff's office said.

Tucker has an extensive criminal history from Colorado, Georgia and Florida, the PCSO reported, including nine felony convictions in Florida. The last conviction was in 2014 for aggravated fleeing in Broward County. There also was an active warrant for his arrest for grand theft of a motor vehicle out of Orange County from earlier this year.

Tucker and Bailey face a host of charges including grand theft auto, grand theft auto warrant (Orange County), trespassing in a stolen vehicle, possession of meth, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a stolen firearm.

Kathy Leigh Berkowitz can be reached at kberkowitz@theledger.com or at 863-802-7558. Follow her on Twitter @kberkowitzthel1.