An Ocala man with a suspended driver’s license blew a tire, ran a red light and narrowly avoided several mishaps during a high-speed chase through Ocklawaha and Weirsdale that ended when he crashed into a stopped pickup truck, injuring the driver.
David Judd Underwood, 27, of 1 Oak Trail Place, then reportedly got out of the vehicle and tried to escape on foot before surrendering and being placed under arrest. He was charged with aggravated fleeing with injury or damage, criminal mischief valued at $1,000 or more, reckless driving, and driving with a suspended license.
At around 7:25 a.m. Tuesday, a Marion County sheriff’s deputy was stopped along the 12800 block of East Highway 25 in Ocklawaha when he observed a silver four-door car traveling eastbound with an obstructed license plate. The deputy started following the vehicle, which was going 45 mph in a posted 30-mph zone, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The deputy activated his emergency lights at the 13500 block of East Highway 25 and the vehicle slowed to about 25 mph and started drifting to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle then accelerated to a high speed, passing another vehicle on a double-yellow line, and continued eastbound, the report said.
The vehicle passed another vehicle on the right shoulder in the vicinity of Bay Road, puncturing its front driver-side tire in the process, and continued south on Highway 25 at a high speed with only three tires intact. The vehicle was traveling southbound in the northbound lane, causing other vehicles to take evasive action to avoid a collision, according to the report.
The vehicle passed several more vehicles on a double-yellow line and continued to the intersection of Highway 25 and Highway 42, when it ran a red light and almost caused an accident. The vehicle continued before the driver – later identified as Underwood – lost control and drove into the passenger side of a stationary 1996 Chevrolet pickup that was occupied. The victim was injured and taken to the hospital, while the damage to the truck was estimated at more than $1,000, the report said.
Underwood got out of the vehicle and ran westbound on Highway 25 for a short distance before stopping. He was placed under arrest. Underwood told the deputy he was “sorry” and that he ran because he didn’t have a valid driver’s license and didn’t want to get into trouble, according to the report.
A passenger in Underwood’s vehicle told the deputy that Underwood said he was fleeing because he didn’t have a valid license. The passenger said he told Underwood numerous times to pull over during the chase, the report said.
A records search showed that Underwood’s license was canceled in May 2016 over unpaid court obligations. He’s being held in the Marion County Jail on $9,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on Aug. 18.