MAITLAND, Fla. – A Deltona man was arrested Tuesday in connection with a robbery investigation in Maitland, according to the police department.
Ethan Hunter Harris, 18, was booked at the Orange County Jail, records show. Harris was arrested following a scene on the eastbound Interstate 4 on-ramp from Maitland Boulevard in what police said involved a pursuit and left no injuries to report.
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An officer responding to a robbery — reported around 4 p.m. on Maitland Avenue South — went off a description to spot the suspect vehicle fleeing west on State Road 414, an arrest affidavit said. The officer caught up with the vehicle within minutes, activating their emergency lights as the car refused to slow or pull over, police said.
A pursuit was granted as the vehicle continued west, turning right onto northbound Hope Road and appearing to pull over before speeding away, the affidavit states. The car then made a U-turn on Hope Road, heading west on SR-414 and making it to the on-ramp where it struck two other vehicles and became disabled, police said.
The car’s three occupants exited the vehicle and ran, its front and back-seat passengers running north on the ramp as the driver “attempted to retrieve something from the center of the vehicle,” the affidavit states.
An officer drew their side arm and commanded the driver to get on the ground, eventually pulling him from the vehicle and losing him as they attempted to holster their weapon, watching as he also attempted to run on the ramp. The driver — later identified as Harris — jumped from the ramp to Wymore Road and ran into a wooded area, police said.
Maitland police, along with the Sanford Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, established a perimeter and eventually located Harris hiding in water, coaxing him out with promises he would be confronted by a K9 if he didn’t comply, according to the affidavit.
Harris faces charges of fleeing/eluding police with lights activated, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage and resisting an officer without violence.
He’s being held on no bond amount for the fleeing charge — a third-degree felony — and a $500 bond amount for each of the two remaining charges, records show.
Police are still investigating the incident and asked that information be called in to the department’s non-emergency line at 407-539-6262. Anonymous tips should either be emailed to tips@maitlandpd.org or or brought by phone to Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477, police said.
Note: Due to the information provided, this map depicts the general area of the incident and not necessarily its exact location.
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