VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A suspect fleeing the Florida Highway Patrol was caught after carjacking a vehicle, then crashing into oncoming traffic at State Road 44 near New Smyrna Beach, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
According to a post on the sheriff’s office Facebook page, the suspect was already fleeing FHP on I-95 when he entered Volusia County, attempted one carjacking, then carjacked a woman while stopped at a light near Destination Daytona in Ormond Beach.
[RELATED: Volusia Sheriff’s Office releases bodycam footage of arrest]
The sheriff’s office said it used Flock cameras to track the car going east on State Road 44. Deputies say as they pursued the suspect, the vehicle reached speeds of 137 mph.
Deputies say the suspect crossed into oncoming traffic near the Walmart, crashed, then bailed out and tried to run away, but he was taken into custody by Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood and several deputies.
[RELATED: Sheriff’s office releases traffic camera footage after carjacking]
The suspect was later identified as 41-year-old Scott Taylor of Connecticut, who now faces charges of fleeing and eluding; leaving the scene of a crash; and not having a driver’s license. More charges are expected.
Body-camera footage of the arrest shows several law enforcement officers — including Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood — restraining the suspect as they took him into custody.
Aside from Taylor, troopers said two other drivers were involved in the crash, though they remained uninjured. The roadblock in the area has since been cleared.
Lohn Hutchinson, who saw part of the aftermath, said the situation could have ended much worse.
“A lot could happen,” he told News 6. “A lot of innocent people could get in the way of him and his intentions that don’t deserve to have that outcome from his actions.”
Taylor has no prior arrests in Volusia County.