A 34-year-old Riverview man driving a stolen box truck was arrested after he fled from Florida Highway Patrol troopers and Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Interstate 75.
On Tuesday, at around 7 a.m., a 2015 Isuzu box truck was traveling northbound on I-75, according to the FHP incident report. Earlier in the morning, the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Hillsborough County.
The driver, identified as Brandon J. Baker, was allegedly involved in a carjacking incident prior to stealing the box truck.
FHP was notified that the stolen vehicle had been spotted in Marion County, near the Alachua County line. An FHP trooper located the stolen vehicle and a traffic stop was attempted.
The FHP report indicated that Baker refused to stop, and he began driving northbound in the southbound lanes of I-75. ACSO deputies also attempted to stop the vehicle at multiple points without success.
Shortly before 7:30 a.m., the stolen vehicle traveled to the 2100 block of SW 34th Street in Gainesville. Baker exited the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot, but he was quickly taken into custody by FHP troopers and ACSO deputies.
Baker was arrested and transported to Alachua County Jail where he is facing multiple felony charges. Additional charges have also been filed by the Tampa Police Department.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.