A 30-year-old Ocala man was arrested after a brief police chase ended inside the Golden Holiday neighborhood in northwest Ocala.
On Wednesday at around 10 p.m., an Ocala Police Department officer was traveling westbound near the 3800 block of NW Blitchton Road when a Buick sedan was observed running a stop sign.
The officer made a U-turn and attempted to conduct a traffic stop of the vehicle. According to OPD, the vehicle turned into the parking lot of a nearby Burger King and came to a stop in one of the parking spaces.
When the officer activated the patrol car’s emergency lights, the vehicle’s driver, later identified as William Charles Reed, drove over the curb and continued to travel eastbound on NW Blitchton Road.
The officer pursued Reed for a short period of time, but the pursuit was ultimately cancelled when Reed entered a local neighborhood.
The officer was aware that the neighborhood, Golden Holiday, only had a single entrance and exit. A perimeter was established at the entrance until additional officers arrived on scene.
The vehicle was quickly located inside the neighborhood, but it was abandoned, and the license plate had been removed.
A homeowner in the area informed the officers that Reed had mentioned that police officers were chasing him. According to the homeowner, Reed had a backpack which was placed on a back porch along with other personal belongings.
While another perimeter was established, an officer observed Reed as he was running out of the back door of a residence, and Reed was detained in handcuffs. According to OPD, Reed was sweating profusely, fell to the ground, and stated that he was about to vomit. He was taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation and treatment.
The backpack that allegedly belonged to Reed was located by the officers. Inside the backpack, they found numerous pipes filled with marijuana, MDMA, and a wallet that contained cocaine.
Officers located numerous mailboxes throughout the neighborhood that had been struck by Reed’s vehicle. The license plate was also found, and a computer search revealed that it was last assigned to a trailer and the registration had expired in 2009.
Reed was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $10,000 bond. He is facing felony charges for fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer, possession of cocaine and a controlled substance, and driving with a suspended or revoked license (third or subsequent offense).
He is also facing misdemeanor charges for resisting an officer, criminal mischief, and attaching an unassigned tag to a motor vehicle.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.