Deputies say a Deltona driver turned a routine traffic stop into a full-on chase, tossing a bag stuffed with drugs and a loaded handgun from his car before sprinting into thick woods, only to be flushed out by a K-9. The pursuit, filmed from above by the Volusia County Sheriff's Air1 helicopter, ended with what investigators describe as trafficking-level quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Members of the Deltona Crime Suppression Team and Volusia County narcotics units say it all started on July 23 during proactive traffic enforcement, when they tried to pull over a BMW at the intersection of Reed Ellis Road and Enterprise-Osteen Road. Charging documents identify the driver as 29-year-old Donnie Williams, who allegedly hit the gas instead of pulling over. A sergeant deployed stop sticks, but the BMW's run-flat tire kept it rolling. Air1 stayed locked on the car from the sky, and crew members reported seeing the driver throw a black bag out of the driver-side window before the vehicle cut through a residential backyard. According to FOX 35 Orlando, deputies then followed on foot into nearby woods.
What Deputies Recovered
Deputies say that when they tracked down the discarded bag, it contained a loaded .380 handgun with ammunition and multiple packages of suspected narcotics that investigators described as consistent with methamphetamine, fentanyl, and crack cocaine. Following the recovery, Williams was charged with armed drug trafficking along with several additional felony counts, according to court documents. WFTV reported that Williams was taken into custody and booked on trafficking-level charges.
Arrest Affidavit Lists Weights and Injuries
An arrest affidavit lists roughly 203.5 grams of a crystal-like substance consistent with methamphetamine, about 16.4 grams of a white powder consistent with fentanyl, and a white rock-like piece in an orange pill bottle that field-tested presumptive positive for crack cocaine, along with a handgun loaded with eight rounds. A deputy K-9 tracked and apprehended Williams in the woods; he was treated for a K-9 bite and medically cleared at a hospital. FOX 35 Orlando adds that Williams, a convicted felon with a long arrest history, is being held without bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail.
Where This Fits Locally
The arrest comes amid a broader multi-agency enforcement effort this week that authorities say resulted in dozens of arrests tied to a regional fentanyl and methamphetamine probe. 49 arrested in five-county sweep reported a large, coordinated takedown of alleged distributors across Volusia and neighboring counties. Prosecutors are expected to review the helicopter and K-9 video as they assemble trafficking and weapons cases in the Seventh Judicial Circuit.
Williams now faces multiple felony counts, including trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, sale and delivery of a controlled substance, fleeing or attempting to elude, resisting without violence and tampering with evidence, according to WFTV. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Volusia County Sheriff's Office or Crime Stoppers.
