Three youths arrested in stolen vehicle in two-county chase on I-75 in Florida
Photo of Hellcat courtesy of FHP.
On Friday, October 28, 2022, at approximately 6:23 am, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Communication Center in Jacksonville, FL was informed that two stolen vehicles - a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a 2022 Dodge Durango - were being tracked by the owner, traveling north on Interstate-75 (I-75) in Sumter County, Florida.
A short time later, the owner notified law enforcement that the Dodge Durango had stopped at an unknown location in Marion County, Florida.
About 45 minutes later, a law enforcement officer with the Florida Department of Agriculture spotted the Jeep Grand Cherokee, traveling north on I-75, and attempted to conduct a traffic stop near the 450-Mile Marker in Hamilton County, Florida. The driver of the Jeep failed to comply with the officer and sped away, with another vehicle, a green 2022 Dodge Hellcat, following closely behind it. Both vehicles fled north into Lowndes County, Georgia, where the Jeep Grand Cheokee was abandoned in Lake Park, Georgia.
The occupants of the Jeep got into the Hellcat and continued traveling north on I-75. The Lowndes County (Georgia) Sheriff's Office attempted to conduct a traffic stop of the Hellcat, but the driver refused to stop. At Exit 22, the driver turned around and headed south on I-75, back into Florida - driving recklessy at speeds up to 160 mph. Back in Florida, the FHP attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Near the 439-Mile Marker in Hamilton County, Florida, the FHP deployed a spike strip that flattened the Hellcat's front left tire, but the driver continued to flee from troopers.
As the Hellcat approached the State Road 247 overpass in Coumbia County, Florida, the driver of the Hellcat and his two passengers exited the vehicle, as it was still moving, and ran towad a wooded ares east of the Interstate.
A perimeter was established around the nearby Quail Heights Country Club area by numerous law enforcement agencies that included the FHP, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Columbia County (Florida) Sheriff's Office, Lake City (Florida) Police Department, K-9 Units with the Florida Department of Corrections, Florida Department of Agriculture, and Lowndes County (Georgia) Sheriff's Office,
By 1:20 pm, the three suspects were taken into custody and transported to the Columbia County Jail in Lake City, Florida. The suspects are Steven Grimes, 20, from St. Clair Shores, Michigan; Ernest King, 20, of East Pointe, Michigan; and Cejay Spencer, 16, of Minot. Michigan. They were charged with grand theft, fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement officers, obstructing jusstice, and dealing in stolen property.