A carjacking suspect armed with a knife led deputies on a chase from Volusia County into Flagler County before he was caught on foot near a Wendy's on Old Kings Road, with a woman and children still in the vehicle when he abandoned it. Flagler County deputies deployed stop sticks to help end the pursuit, and 31-year-old Lee Miller now faces charges including fleeing and eluding and child neglect, along with additional counts out of Volusia County.
According to FOX 35 Orlando, the incident began in Volusia County, where Miller allegedly carjacked a vehicle while armed with a knife, with a woman and children inside. The Flagler County Sheriff's Office reported that the suspect fled into Flagler County, prompting deputies there to assist in the pursuit. Miller ultimately abandoned the vehicle near the Wendy's on Old Kings Road, according to the station's report.
The heavy law enforcement presence near Palm Coast Parkway during the midday incident sparked widespread rumors on social media of an active shooter in the area, rumors the Flagler County Sheriff's Office publicly debunked as false, as reported by AskFlagler. The tire-deflation deployment and intense deputy activity in the busy commercial corridor drove the immediate wave of public concern before the sheriff's office moved to clarify what was actually happening.
Helicopter and Drones Join the Ground Search
Locating and apprehending Miller required a coordinated tactical response, with deputies using stop sticks, a K-9 unit, drones and a helicopter, per the same account from Fox 35 Orlando. That air support came from the Sheriff's Office drone team working alongside Flagler County's FireFlight helicopter, according to Flagler News Weekly. FireFlight is an Airbus H125 multi-mission aircraft that the county created following the devastating 1998 wildfires, and it now provides regional law enforcement air support, medical evacuation and fire suppression, according to Just Helicopters.
The combined aerial and ground effort let deputies establish a perimeter quickly in the commercial zone, allowing them to run Miller down on foot. Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement reported by AskFlagler that Miller made the mistake of fleeing into Flagler County and ended up “caught and sweaty” after trying to run from deputies.
Woman's Status Shifts From Victim to Suspected Participant
Deputies initially reported that the woman found in the abandoned vehicle may be involved with the carjacking and may not be a victim, per Fox 35 Orlando's reporting. Investigators went further, according to Flagler News Weekly, revising their assessment of the woman from a carjacking victim to someone believed to have been an active participant in the Volusia County crime. Deputies had rescued the woman and children from the scene before uncovering evidence that reportedly tied her to Miller's alleged actions.
Charges Carry Steep Statutory Penalties
Miller faces multiple charges connected to a carjacking that spanned Volusia and Flagler counties, per officials cited by Fox 35 Orlando, including fleeing and eluding and child neglect, along with additional charges out of Volusia County. Under Florida Statute § 812.133, committing a carjacking while armed with a knife or other deadly weapon is classified as a first-degree felony punishable by up to life imprisonment, according to Online Sunshine.
Florida Statute § 316.1935 classifies fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer with active lights and siren as a third-degree felony, and the law strictly prohibits judges from withholding adjudication of guilt upon conviction, according to the Sammis Law Firm. Separately, child neglect without great bodily harm under Florida Statute § 827.03 is a third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison per count for caregivers who fail to protect a child from substantial risk of physical harm, per the Law Office of Leanna J. Smith.
Part of a Pattern Along the Volusia-Flagler Corridor
This chase followed a similar cross-county pursuit just a week earlier, when a suspect in an Ormond Beach carjacking hit 137 mph while fleeing through Volusia County. Multi-jurisdictional enforcement along the corridor connecting the two counties has remained a consistent priority, illustrated by an August 2 incident in which Sheriff Staly personally conducted an off-duty stop of a vehicle traveling 125 mph across county lines. Corridors like I-95 and U.S. 1 continue to serve as the primary routes for cross-border crime and high-speed pursuits between Volusia and Flagler counties.
