A 31-year-old Silver Springs man accused of leading local law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase was arrested after allegedly crashing his car and fleeing on foot through the nearby woods.
On Tuesday, January 7, two Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies were in the 12100 block of SE 1st Street Road in Silver Springs when they observed a Toyota Camry traveling northbound at around 15 miles per hour above the posted speed limit, according to the arrest report.
The report stated that as the Toyota passed by the marked MCSO patrol vehicle, the driver – later identified as Brian Gene Brockett – “slumped down in his seat” before accelerating to speeds of over 75 miles per hour.
One of the deputies noted in the report that Brockett drove northbound on SE 1st Street Road at a high rate of speed before turning westbound onto SE 125th Terrace Road. He allegedly continued heading westbound until he entered an unnamed dirt trail, and the deputies soon lost sight of him.
Additional MCSO units responded to the area and located the Toyota, which had crashed in the woods. The vehicle was abandoned, and deputies found shoes in the area, along with a black hooded jacket that was “consistent with the one (Brockett) was wearing as he drove past (the deputies),” according to the report.
In addition, the deputies observed that the driver’s side of the Toyota had been freshly painted with gray spray paint, and a can of gray spray paint was located on the passenger floorboard. The report mentioned that a receipt for a can of spray paint was also found from a Walmart located on E Silver Springs Boulevard, and it was timestamped earlier that morning.
While deputies were securing the Toyota at the scene of the crash, a witness approached them and advised that the vehicle belonged to a relative of Brockett. The witness further stated that Brockett was currently located in the 600 block of SE 129th Terrace in Silver Springs.
Deputies responded to the above address and made contact with Brockett. After being read his Miranda rights, Brockett admitted to driving the Toyota to a local Walmart and purchasing the spray paint. He further claimed that he was “sleeping” during the time of the high-speed pursuit, and he stated that he was unaware of the vehicle’s current location, according to the report.
However, the report mentioned that Brockett later asked deputies if they found his black hooded jacket “in the crashed car.” A deputy noted in the report that “nobody told (Brockett) the car was crashed.”
Gray paint was also observed on Brockett’s fingers, and his feet had cuts that appeared consistent with someone running through the woods without shoes on.
Brockett was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail. He was released from jail the following day, and he is facing the following charges: fleeing to elude a law enforcement officer, driving with a suspended license (habitual traffic offender), and failure to register a motor vehicle.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.