Crystal River, FL : Chase ends in crash, arrest on Tuesday, February 7th 2017

Ninety minutes later it ended on State Road 200 near Hernando.

A chase Tuesday afternoon through Sumter and Marion counties concluded in Citrus County when a Floral City man, who had been shot by a deputy after stealing a car with a baby inside, crashed the car on an embankment, law enforcement officials said.

Officials said the deputy opened fire when he tried to wrest Douglas Martin, 27, from the car and Martin drove off, dragging the deputy.

Martin was airlifted to Ocala Regional Hospital with two gunshot wounds to the stomach, officials said. The 4-month-old baby boy was unharmed and returned to his parents, Sumter County deputies said.

Deputies at first believed Martin carjacked the 2003 Chevy Malibu from the baby’s mother. Authorities later said they suspected the woman and Martin were acquaintances and their meeting was not by accident.

“It’s possible she was in the area to pick him up,” Sumter County Sheriff’s Capt. Pat Breeden said. “He took the vehicle from her.”

Multiple law enforcement vehicles from Marion, Sumter, Citrus and the Florida Highway Patrol converged on the accident scene. State Road 200, one of the county’s busiest roadways, was closed for about 45 minutes as officers secured the crime scene.

The northbound lanes were closed again for another hour when a gasoline tanker truck, in attempting to turn around, instead became stuck across one lane and had to be removed by tow, Citrus County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Lindsay Blair said.

According to the FHP and Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, this is what happened:

At about 12:30 p.m., an FHP trooper stopped a 2003 Toyota sedan on I-75 near the State Road 44 Wildwood exit for seat belt and faulty equipment violations.

The car driver, 23-year-old Dillon Martin, also of Floral City, was arrested on charges of driving with a suspended license and drug violations, the FHP said.

While Dillon Martin was in custody, his passenger, Douglas Martin, ran off.

Sumter County deputies responded to assist FHP in the search for Douglas Martin, who they believed had a warrant for violation of probation.

A Sumter deputy saw Martin running from some woods onto County Road 231 near S.R. 44, about a half-mile west of the freeway.

The deputy saw Martin get into the Malibu and physically assault the driver, Sumter County officials said.

“The female began to scream that her infant child was in the back seat,” a Sumter County news release said. “Our deputy attempted to remove the suspect from the driver seat at which time the suspect accelerated the vehicle dragging our deputy. While being dragged, the deputy fired his weapon, striking the suspect and was able to free himself.”

Martin headed east on S.R. 44 and then north on I-75, being pursued by Sumter County deputies. Marion County deputies joined the chase and Martin left the freeway at the S.R. 200 exit, heading south toward Citrus County.

Citrus deputies were alerted that a chase was potentially headed their way and deputies were north on S.R. 200 when they came upon the crash scene at East Olive Lane, Blair said.

“By the time we got there he had spun out,” Blair said. Martin was apprehended without incident, officials said.

The Sumter County deputy’s name was not released. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting.

Breeden said Douglas Martin, who was not armed, faces “a slew” of felony charges, including fleeing and eluding law enforcement.

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Chase ends in crash, arrest