Five people were detained in connection with a kidnapping in Florida that sparked a car pursuit through several towns.
According to CBS Miami, NBC Miami, and WPLG, the event occurred shortly before 1:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, Nov. 15, inside a McDonald’s in Davie, roughly 10 miles from Fort Lauderdale.
A group of suspects allegedly approached a victim inside a McDonald’s, stole his cell phone, and instructed him to get into their vehicle if he wanted it back, according to the Davie Police Department (DPD).
The group then drove away, carrying the victim, whose identity has not been revealed, to the 700 block of Northwest 9th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. There, the group allegedly forced the man out of their car and struck him. The victim fled the area and was able to phone 911, reporting that he had been kidnapped.
“He fled, stopped a person in the area, and called 911 to report that he was kidnapped from Davie,” a DPD spokesperson told WPLG.
Police from Davie’s bordering cities were notified of the crime, and Fort Lauderdale Police used GPS tracking information from the victim’s phone to locate the perpetrators’ vehicle, according to reports.
Police from Davie and Fort Lauderdale, as well as Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies, pursued the automobile to neighboring Pompano Beach. In footage obtained by the publications, the white SUV was seen colliding with a post. Police said the suspects then fled the location on foot.
The publications received video of the situation, which showed armed cops storming an apartment building across the street from where the SUV crashed.
Three adult suspects, Tracey Ross (30), Lamar Perry (18), and Timothy Brown (18), were detained and taken into custody. According to the reports, two juveniles were detained and sent to the county’s juvenile evaluation center.
According to CBS Miami, Ross has been charged with kidnapping, causing physical harm or frightening a victim, fleeing at high speeds, and resisting an officer. Perry has been charged with kidnapping, causing physical harm or harassing a victim, grand theft of a motor vehicle, resisting an officer, possessing a firearm by a minor, and burglary.
Brown was accused with kidnapping, causing physical harm, and harassing the victim, but CBS Miami reports that his involvement in the incident is presently unknown.
Several of the suspects’ relatives testified in court, including Brown’s mother.
“I’ve never seen my son get into trouble or do anything like this,” she told WPLG. “I’m not sure who he was with and what transpired. So I am still in shock.”
