A Florida man managed to turn what started as a police pursuit into a multi-city mess involving a carjacking, high-speed driving, oncoming traffic, multiple crashes, and yet another attempt to get away on foot.
According to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, 41-year-old Scott Taylor first took off from Florida Highway Patrol before making his way into Volusia County along I-95. At some point after that, deputies say he carjacked a woman in Ormond Beach and continued driving in the stolen vehicle.
License plate readers then started feeding law enforcement real-time updates about the car’s location, helping units track it toward State Road 44. By then, Taylor had already been driving at high speeds and into oncoming traffic.
The chase finally came apart near the I-95 overpass in New Smyrna Beach, where the Sheriff’s Office says Taylor crashed into two vehicles. Even then, he apparently wasn’t ready to call it quits.
Just a Few More Crashes
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The video shared by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office shows the aftermath of the pursuit and officers moving in to take Taylor into custody. According to the department, he tried to flee again after crashing near the overpass.
That didn’t work.
Taylor was taken into custody and later transported to a hospital for evaluation. The Sheriff’s Office says he is now facing charges from several agencies involved in the incident, including Florida Highway Patrol, Volusia deputies, New Smyrna Beach Police, and Ormond Beach Police.
Those charges include grand theft of a motor vehicle, two counts of carjacking, fleeing or attempting to elude, burglary of an occupied vehicle, two counts of battery, and false imprisonment. The Sheriff’s Office also noted that Taylor had prior charges from Daytona Beach Police.
Commenters Say the Video Shows Just How Dangerous It Got
Much of the reaction focused on Sheriff Mike Chitwood’s role in the arrest, with several commenters joking about how directly he seemed to get involved. One person called him an “old school cop,” while another simply wrote, “And that’s why he’s the sheriff.”
One commenter questioned the Sheriff’s Office, highlighting the license plate readers that helped track Taylor, asking, “Is this a push for Flock Cams??” It’s a fair observation considering the department specifically credited LPRs with providing real-time updates on the stolen vehicle’s route.
Then there was a comment from someone who claimed to have encountered Taylor during the chase itself. “I saw him fly into the westbound lane on 44 from the eastbound lane as I was going West,” they wrote, adding that the vehicle came close to hitting them.
Considering the Sheriff’s Office says Taylor drove into oncoming traffic, crashed into two vehicles, and still tried to get away afterward, that close call may have been one of several moments where this could have ended much worse.