Lazaro Aleman
Greene Publishing, Inc.
What started out as a fistfight in the Monticello Winn-Dixie parking lot on Wednesday afternoon turned into a high speed chase that traversed through several counties, involved multiple law-enforcement agencies, and ended in a crash in Alachua County.
Monticello Police Department (MPD) Chief Fred Mosley reports that his department received a call Wednesday morning, Sept. 14, of “a fight in progress involving several male subjects” in the Winn Dixie parking lot. Chief Mosley says witnesses reported the fight involved two males fighting a third male.
When officers from the MPD and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) arrived on the scene, however, the individuals had fled in a silver Chevy Malibu, as described by witnesses.
Moments later, according to Chief Mosley, a JCSO deputy spotted the vehicle and tried to stop it. That’s when the high speed race ensued, with the suspects speeding east on I-10 and officers from the MPD and JCSO in hot pursuit.
In Madison County, officers from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) joined the chase, with an unconfirmed report of one MCSO deputy clocking the suspects’ vehicle going in excess of 135 mph.
Near the I-10 marker 343 in Madison County, MCSO deputies installed a stop stick (tire deflation device) on the road to stop the suspects’ vehicle, but they drove around the impediment and continued.
Radio reports from officers involved in the chase indicated that the suspects at one point were tossing money out the car windows and sometimes traveling on the emergency lane to pass other vehicles and semi-trucks. Jefferson County Sheriff David Hobbs said Thursday morning that about $3,000 in counterfeit money had been recovered on the interstate.
Pursuing officers lost sight of the suspects’ vehicle somewhere in Madison County. Then, a MCSO deputy spotted the suspects fueling their vehicle at a Jiffy Store in the small town of Lee and the chase was on again. It’s reported that at least one MCSO deputy tried to ram the suspects’ vehicle to force it off the road, but the maneuver failed.
Jefferson County officers quit the chase somewhere in Madison County, and Madison County officer reportedly dropped it in Columbia County, after crossing portions of Lafayette and Suwannee counties.
The chase terminated in Alachua County, where officers from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) were finally able to stop the car.
Lieutenant Brandon Kutner, with the ACSO, told Greene Publishing, Inc. that the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) alerted his department of the situation via a BOLO. Kutner said the FHP reported the vehicle traveling at speeds of 120 mph on I-75 and said the situation possibly involved a kidnapping. He said 12 ACSO deputies participated in the stop.
Kutner said that after the suspects’ vehicle hit the stop stick at mile marker 382 on I-75, near the Williston Road exit, it continued for another mile at speeds of up to 85 mph, despite a deflated tire. He said the vehicle finally slowed to about 30 mph after losing a tire, at which point a deputy drove his patrol car in front of the suspects’ vehicle. Kutner said the Malibu rammed into the deputy’s car, with both vehicles ending up in a ditch alongside the road.
Kutner said the two vehicles suffered damages but no injures occurred. He said ACSO officers arrested the four individuals in the vehicle and turned them over to the FHP.
A Gainesville media report, on Wednesday evening, quoted FHP Lieutenant Patrick Riordan saying that his agency was investigating the reports of the suspects tossing money out of their vehicle during the pursuit. He said it was believed the money was counterfeit, a felony charge.
Riordan was also quoted saying that the four individuals had extensive criminal records, with multiple felony charges and arrests each. He said the four were being transported back to Jefferson County to face charges.
As of press time on Thursday morning, FHP investigators identified the four defendants as 29-year-old Antwan Belin, 31-year-old Lovy House, 24-year-old Mark Rivera, and 30-year-old Marvie Alford.