A Leesburg man was arrested after crashing his car while attempting to flee police to avoid being caught driving with a suspended license.
Damariean Roberts, 31, was driving eastbound on Harlem Avenue near Stinson Street around 1:30 a.m. Saturday when a Lake County sheriff’s deputy on patrol in the area began pursuing him after noticing his temporary license plate and illegally dark tinted windows.
As the officer tried to catch up with him, Roberts began speeding away, ran a stop sign and “took off at an extremely high rate of speed” after the deputy activated his lights and siren, according to the arrest affidavit.
Soon after, police received a call about a car crash with the driver leaving the vehicle and fleeing the scene. When the deputy arrived at the scene in the 2700 block Berdetta Street, he recognized the car as the one he had been pursuing earlier.
A police dog was then used to lead officers to the suspect, who was found lying on the hood of a truck behind a mobile home in the 1000 block of County Road 468. Police say Roberts was drenched in sweat, with multiple cuts and scrapes to his shins and legs and having difficulty breathing. On seeing the deputies, Roberts blurted out, “It was me driving the car,” adding that he had fled because he had a suspended license.
Roberts was transported to Leesburg Regional Medical Center for treatment and is facing a felony charge of fleeing and eluding police and three misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest without violence, leaving the scene of an accident and driving with a suspended license. He was later charged with the third-degree felony of introduction of contraband to a correctional facility.
Roberts was booked at the Lake County Jail and was released on $11,000 bond. His court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 30.
