A Leesburg man with a suspended license was arrested after crashing an unregistered vehicle into a mailbox.
Donald Ray Brooks, 65, called the police to his home on Center Street regarding unknown people in his truck around 2:45 a.m. Monday, July 6, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. This was the second call making similar allegations, although the first related to him having hallucinations and going through a mental episode.
While en route to the residence, an officer observed an older-model brown Chevrolet truck driving southbound on South 14th Street. The vehicle passed Leesburg High School at high speed, swerved between the southbound lanes and emitted smoke from how hard the engine ran. The officer turned around as the vehicle sped up to turn left at a red light, cutting off other vehicles in the intersection, the report said.
The officer had to turn on his emergency lights to catch up to the vehicle, which continued to swerve between lanes. It abruptly turned north on Canal Street and crashed into a mailbox at the intersection with Pine Street. The vehicle was stopped by another officer blocking its path, as it jumped the curb to a standstill, the report said.
Brooks refused to exit the vehicle and had to be extracted by officers. He was visibly frantic, profusely sweating, and uttering incoherent statements about people trying to kill him and hiding in his vehicle. Even once he was detained and calm, he was unintelligible and could not reasonably explain his actions, the report said.
Further investigation of the vehicle determined it was a beige 1989 Chevrolet truck with a tag registered to a different vehicle. A check of the VIN revealed it was not registered. A subsequent inquiry into Brooks’ driving history revealed his license had been suspended, and he had a previous conviction for driving with a suspended license, the report said.
Brooks ultimately met the criteria for a law enforcement Baker Act and was transported to LifeStream, located at 2020 Tally Road. He was placed on a police hold pending his discharge, the report said.
He was later arrested on charges of fail to register motor vehicle, driving while license suspended with knowledge (second conviction) and reckless driving (property damage). He was then booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $2,000 bond.
Brooks was also arrested in February after allegedly strangling a lady friend until she almost lost consciousness.