On March 14, at 11:43 a.m., a pickup truck parked in front of a nuisance property near Parkland caught the eye of our Special Investigations Unit (SIU) sergeant. The residence is well known to deputies because it has been the target of several drive-by shootings, and numerous stolen vehicles have been recovered there.
The sergeant discovered that the truck was stolen at gunpoint 12 days earlier in Edgewood. SIU deputies kept an eye on the truck and eventually saw a known violent offender get into it and drive away.
They followed him to another nearby residence and moved in to make the arrest. After ramming two patrol cars, the suspect jumped up onto a patrol car and began hopping from car to car as he tried to get away. As the foot pursuit continued down the street, the SIU sergeant (a former college track star) blew by everyone and caught up to the suspect as he was jumping over a fence. A patrol deputy tased the suspect and he was taken into custody.
Deputies located a gun inside the truck. The 33-year-old suspect was booked into jail on numerous charges and for his warrants: unlawful possession of a firearm and robbery in the second degree.
Prosecutors charged the suspect with two counts of assault in the second degree and obstructing. Bail was set at $75,000.
The prosecutor’s office has classified the suspect as a high-priority offender. In 2009, he was convicted of robbery in the first degree. He was sentenced to 90 months in prison plus a 60-month deadly weapon sentence enhancement. In 2011, while serving his sentence, he was convicted of perjury for lying during an assault (shooting) trial. He was sentenced to an additional 50 months in prison. Since 2022, in addition to the charges from March 14, he has been charged with robbery in the second degree, forgery, and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm. He is currently in custody.