A Florida man was arrested Monday after he carjacked a Good Samaritan at gunpoint then later fled police through the mangroves of the Halifax River.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said a victim reported that the suspect, later identified as 34-year-old Grant Hagood-James, asked hi for a ride in Daytona Beach Shores, then pulled a gun and ordered him out of the car before driving off.
Hagood-James was later spotted swimming up to the deck of a Port Orange restaurant and running through the establishment, ditching his shirt in the process. Then he jumped back into the river and hid out in the mangroves.
Deputies deployed a helicopter, dogs, drones, boats, and crews from three other agencies in their search for the suspect.
The victim of the carjacking was not injured, and police later found his vehicle abandoned in a yard in Port Orange. A gun was found nearby.
Hagood-James was booked on a charge of armed carjacking and was being held without bond.
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[Featured image: Hagood James, just below the green “+” left center. Inset: Grant Hagood-James/Volusia County Sheriff’s Office]
