A Minneola man was arrested on a warrant after crashing his vehicle and claiming he had been carjacked during an Uber delivery.
On the night of Jan. 24, a Lake County deputy observed a black Chrysler 300 speeding southbound on U.S. Hwy. 27 in Clermont, according to an affidavit of probable cause out of Lake County. Radar determined the driver, later identified as 43-year-old Christopher Mark Chapman, was traveling 84 miles per hour in a 55-mph zone.
The deputy turned on his emergency lights for a traffic stop as the vehicle passed him. He saw a “nearly bald” man behind the wheel before he pulled out and approached the vehicle. Instead of stopping, Chapman fled and turned right onto Vista Del Lago Boulevard, the affidavit said.
Seeing that he was speeding into a neighborhood, the deputy ended his pursuit. But within three minutes, Chapman crashed into a street sign and a tree inside the neighborhood. He then fled on foot, leaving his heavily damaged Chrysler behind, the affidavit said.
Multiple witnesses later described seeing a man in dark clothing and boots driving the vehicle. An extensive search of the area yielded nothing, the affidavit said.
A subsequent check of the vehicle’s license plate determined Chapman was the registered owner, and his photo matched the driver the deputy had seen pass him during the traffic stop. Additionally, a search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a Shell fuel receipt from 13800 S Greater Hills Blvd., Clermont. Surveillance footage confirmed Chapman was the driver, the affidavit said.
The vehicle also contained four Swig cups and an Uber delivery bag in the backseat. This revealed that Chapman had been delivering for Uber that night, the affidavit said.
The following day, Chapman called the police to report his vehicle had been stolen. He claimed to have been carjacked at gunpoint and threatened with bodily harm the night before. He filled out a sworn affidavit attesting to this story, writing he had no idea who had his vehicle, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies and detectives investigated these claims, although Chapman had many inconsistencies with his story. They were able to find footage of him driving the vehicle moments before he fled the traffic stop and left the crash site, the report said.
Chapman was ultimately arrested this past week on a warrant charging him with fleeing to elude and leaving the scene of a crash with property damage. He received another charge for giving a false report. He was booked at Lake County Jail with bond set at $7,000.