ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — UPDATE, 8/15/19, 3:30 p.m.: Matthew Bennett, the suspect who led police on a multi-county police chase, has died, according to authorities.
UPDATED STORY: Kidnapping victim says suspect wiped his blood on her during high-speed chase
Original story below:
The man who reportedly stole an unmarked police car on Wednesday slung blood at the deputies who tried to arrest him.
We now know Matthew Bennett is the suspect in the crime spree that spanned two counties.
This appears to be the suspect, Matthew Bennett, 35. This is a mug shot from a JSO arrest in June for allegedly violating an injunction. The middle name, age & DOB match the St. Johns report. @LorenaANjax has new information on how all this allegedly started, live at 5. pic.twitter.com/qd9R3XZFuE
— Russell Colburn (@RussellANjax) August 15, 2019
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The original crime took place on Jacksonville's Southside, where a woman said the suspect tried to carjack her.
The chase for the suspect ended in St. Johns County but it started near J. Turner Butler and Hodges boulevards. A woman said someone else pulled up behind her and that's when the suspect carjacked that driver, who still had a passenger in the car.
Video from Sky Action News Jax shows the activity on Interstate 95 in St. Johns County on Wednesday night, where deputies were able to perform a PIT maneuver to stop Bennett last night.
Bennett, who is from Jacksonville Beach, stole a black Toyota Corolla in Jacksonville earlier in the day Wednesday.
Action News Jax's Lorena Inclan looked up his criminal history in Duval County and found Bennett has an open criminal case for violation of a restraining order against him. He had pleaded not guilty in that case.
We reached out to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and a spokesperson said the carjacking that happened in Duval County didn't rise to the level of letting the public know, which is why JSO won't be giving a briefing on this case.
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