Armed carjacking: Demitri Hunter Nichols of Spring Hill sentenced to 20 years
Nichols' mugshot courtesy of State Attorney's Office.
Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida
Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter and Hernando counties
April 22, 2025
Citrus County, Florida - Earlier this month, the case against 20 year-old Demitri Hunter Nichols of Spring Hill, Florida was brought to conclusion when Nichols pled to charges in court, which included carjacking with a firearm, shooting at, within, or into an occupied vehicle; fleeing from or attempting to elude law enforcement, and resisting a law enforcement officer without violence.
Nichols was sentenced to serve 20 years in the Florida Department of Corrections, which is a minimum-mandatory term. After his incarceration, Nichols will be placed on probation for 10 years.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Patsey Jacobs.
In March of 2024, Citrus County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a location off Ft. Island Trail in Crystal River, Florida, in regard to a complaint of a physical disturbance. While enroute to the location, Lieutenant Terry Corbin observed a vehicle that matched the description of the victim's vehicle in the complaint. He attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle. However, instead of pulling over for the traffic stop, the driver, later identified as Nichols, accelerated the vehicle and attempted to flee from the deputy at a high rate of speed.
During the multi-mile pursuit, deputies deployed tire deflation devices on the roadway and successfully disabled the vehicle. Nichols, then 19 years-old, was detained and questioned. He stated to law enforcement personnel that he and the victim had gotten into an argument, and when it turned physical, he decided to leave in the victim's vehicle.
The victim told deputies that Nichols had a violent outburst during which he fired a firearm numerous times out of the vehicle's passenger window. The victim said that he/she then pulled off the roadway and exited the vehicle, along with three other people who witnessed the altercation. The victim said that she/he then got into an argument with Nichols, which escalated to the point that Nichols struck the victim's face numerous times. As the victim spoke to deputies, they noted obvious injuries to the victim's face.
The victim stated, that after falling to the ground, Nichols stood over him/her, pointing a firearm at the victim's head before leaving the area, driving the victim's vehicle.
The three other witnesses corroborated the victim's statement.