MOUNT DORA, Fla. – An armed robbery suspect is in custody after a search in Mount Dora that began after a vehicle fled a traffic stop and crashed, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said they tried to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle in Orange County around 11:50 p.m. Monday when the pair inside took off, eventually crashing the vehicle in Mount Dora, which is in Lake County.
The people who were inside the vehicle are believed to be connected to an armed robbery at Vincent's Italian Restaurant, according to a news release.
Shortly after the crash, a woman was taken into custody, according to deputies. It's unclear what charges she will face, if any. Deputies said she was a passenger in the vehicle.
Orange County Sheriff's Office public information officer Deputy Christian Marrero said the man who was driving the vehicle, later identified as Charles Anthony Gunn, fled into a vacant Mount Dora public works building. A SWAT team was brought in and a search was conducted but Gunn was not found, he said. The search of the building was completed before 2:30 p.m.
Mount Dora High School and Mount Dora Middle School were both placed on modified lockdown as deputies searched the area for Gunn. The lockdown has since been lifted.
Children and members of the public were never in danger, according to Marrero.
"Any time that there is a criminal on the loose, especially a suspect in a felony crime, it is concerning to everybody but I want to make it clear that the Orange County Sheriff's Office as well as all the other law enforcement agencies that were involved in this, are working hard to be able to find this person and have him face the charges that he needs," Marrero said.
Around 5 p.m. Tuesday, officials from the Mount Dora Police Department said Gunn had been taken into custody on Grant Avenue. The circumstances of the arrest were not immediately available.
Gunn was scheduled to have his first appearance before a judge Wednesday, but officials said he refused to go.
Deputies said they're still seeking a second armed robbery suspect in connection with the incident at Vincent's Italian Restaurant.
Taylor Jones lives in Mount Dora and saw deputies searching.
"I noticed there were a lot of people wearing uniforms and all of that," Jones said. "Maybe 100 or 200 law enforcement officials gathered in the parking lot."
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477).