DELAND, Fla. – An 18-year-old man is behind bars after he held a friend at gunpoint in a car, forcing them to drive away from deputies, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.
A deputy was traveling on S.R. 15A in DeLand Tuesday afternoon when he spotted a Mercury Grand Marquis that recently evaded him last week, a news release said.
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The sheriff’s deputy tried to conduct a traffic stop and when the driver attempted to pull over, there was a sudden commotion in the car, authorities said. Deputies noted the passenger, identified as Davion Smith, move something from their waistband, which alarmed the law enforcement officers, the release states.
Both deputies on the stop “recognized the action and became terribly concerned the incident was about to result in a shootout,” the news release reads.
[WATCH BELOW: Deputies try to stop Smith as he flees traffic stop, sheriff’s office says]
Video: An 18-year-old man with an extensive juvenile criminal record and a stolen gun was arrested again Tuesday in DeLand after he held his friend at gunpoint in a car and forced him to flee from deputies. https://t.co/j9o3yztNAC pic.twitter.com/nRHe5A5Wtt
— Volusia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) June 30, 2021
Deputies say they saw the driver try to leave the car as Smith violently pulled him back in. They later witnessed the passenger point a handgun at the driver’s head, the sheriff’s office states.
With a handgun visibly pointed at the driver’s head, the car sped down the road. Deputies followed the vehicle, eventually stopping the driver in a parking lot at 880 N. Spring Garden Ave. The driver surrendered and cooperated with commands, according to a news release.
The sheriff’s office said the driver explained how he was trying to stop, but was bombarded by Smith who pressed the gas and took the wheel.
Another deputy tracked down Smith at a storage complex and took him into custody.
Deputies found a handgun next to the car and learned it was reported stolen in an armed robbery that happened in March. Investigators say the suspect in that armed robbery had a description similar to Smith’s.
Inside the car, investigators also found two small bags of heroin in the passenger side door.
Smith, who has an extensive juvenile record, is facing kidnapping, carjacking with a firearm, carrying a concealed firearm, possession of heroin, possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent, grant theft of a firearm, driving without a license and two counts of fleeing of attempting to elude law enforcement, according to deputies.
Smith is currently being held in the Volusia County Jail without bond.