A dangerous pursuit across county lines ended with the arrest of Michael Anthony McNeal, 36, who is accused of kidnapping a woman and her two children. McNeal allegedly broke into the woman's Margate apartment, took the family, and threatened to kill them before fleeing to Ocala, according to WSVN.
According to First Coast News, the pursuit was initiated after St. Johns County deputies were tipped off by the Margate Police Department. The deputies spotted the vehicle on Interstate 95 and State Road 207, but McNeal fled at a high rate of speed. Scanner audio captured during the chase indicated McNeal was driving in the wrong direction.
The chase continued into Putnam County, where McNeal crashed on U.S. 17 and attempted to evade capture on foot. Putnam County Sheriff's Office, reinforced by Palatka police and Florida Highway Patrol, mounted a coordinated response, swiftly cornering McNeal. He was discovered by the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office air unit, hiding in the back of a dump truck and was subsequently arrested. The mother, visibly injured from being beaten and choked, and her children were safely recovered at the crash site, as per the account from WSVN.
McNeal now faces a slew of charges in both St. Johns and Putnam counties, ranging from kidnapping, child neglect without great bodily harm, and violation of an injunction for domestic violence to fleeing and eluding law enforcement. His bond was set at $135,500.
