Florida man accused of carjacking street sweeper tackled into muddy ditch during police chase

An 18-year-old Florida man with a lengthy criminal record was tackled into a muddy ditch after stealing a street sweeper and leading deputies on a chase early Monday, authorities said.

Sterling Orlando Davis-Jones, of Jacksonville, allegedly committed an armed carjacking of a pick-up truck that was being used as a street sweeper in Daytona Beach around 4 a.m. 

Deputies in Flagler County were notified of the carjacking shortly after and spotted the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said. The driver then bailed out of the stolen vehicle and ran away from deputies holding what authorities believed was a firearm.

After losing sight of the suspect, the sheriff’s office said K-9 teams and a Volusia County sheriff’s helicopter were called to help in the search.

FLORIDA EX-WIFE OF SLAIN MICROSOFT EXECUTIVE HIRES CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER

Three hours into the search, a resident told deputies that a male fitting the suspect’s description was walking in his backyard. Deputies located the suspect, who began to flee.

One deputy, identified as Deputy Clay, eventually tackled the suspect to the ground, causing both men to land in a mud-filled ditch, the sheriff’s office said. 

Clay sustained minor injuries and was treated at a hospital. Authorities did not say whether Davis-Jones was found with a firearm.

Davis-Jones, who was on juvenile probation for grand theft at the time of his arrest Monday, has a criminal history dating back to 2014 – when he was just 10 years old.

He was previously arrested for 18 misdemeanor offenses and 18 felony offenses, including multiple counts of burglary, several counts of grand theft of a motor vehicle, grand theft of a firearm, under 18 unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of firearm by a minor, robbery with a weapon, aggravated assault on law enforcement/EMT and grand theft of a fire extinguisher.

Sheriff Rick Staly thanked deputies for “getting this dangerous criminal off the streets.”

“The juvenile justice system failed this kid by giving him chance after chance,” Staly said. “This kid is never going to learn his lesson so now that he is an adult the system needs to hold him accountable and send him away before he seriously hurts or kills someone.”

Davis-Jones is now facing charges of resisting an officer without violence, providing a false name to law enforcement, violation of probation and felony trespass on a construction site.

Daytona police were investigating the armed carjacking.