A stretch of Interstate 75 in Alachua County was temporarily shut down on Sunday evening after a homicide suspect attempted to flee from law enforcement.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office was notified by the Florida Highway Patrol that a male suspect wanted for homicide out of another jurisdiction was entering Alachua County on I-75. Multiple deputies responded to the interstate to assist with apprehending the suspect, according to a social media post from ACSO.
Deputies blocked exit ramps and stationed themselves along the interstate with stop sticks. As the suspect’s vehicle approached the deputies, the stop sticks were successfully deployed on the roadway.
One of the deputies conducted a P.I.T. (precision immobilization technique) maneuver on the suspect’s vehicle, which disabled it on the interstate. The ACSO SWAT team soon responded to the scene and utilized an armored vehicle to allow team members and medical person to safely approach the suspect.
The suspect remained inside the vehicle. According to ACSO, the SWAT team reached the vehicle and observed that the suspect was deceased.
“At this time, it appears that the subject inside of the vehicle took his own life, but all investigation into the subject operating the vehicle and his subsequent death will be conducted by investigators with the Florida Highway Patrol,” stated ACSO on its Facebook page.
The sheriff’s office stated that no deputies, troopers, or law enforcement partners were injured during this incident.
No further details were released regarding the identity of the homicide suspect.