Suspect in Jacksonville carjacking found using smartphone tracking app, police said

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The suspect in an apparent carjacking at UF Health on Monday morning was found and arrested using a popular tracking app.

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The incident took place at UF Health Shands in a parking lot at just after 9 a.m.

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“I was working in an off-duty capacity at 655 W. 8th St. (UF Health Hospital) when I was notified by security that a possible carjacking had just occurred in the ‘U Parking Lot’,” the responding officer said in a report. “I was notified that the victim was now located at the ER entrance.”

When officers arrived, the victim provided vehicle details and a description of the suspect, who was wearing a black hoodie and had a tattoo between his eyes on his forehead and one on each side of his face.

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The victim was using an iPhone app to track the SUV in real-time. The app was able to tell officers that the stolen vehicle was at a home off Acorn Street.

As officers were responding to the general area, they located an SUV matching the description getting ready to turn on McDuff Avenue. The suspect, identified in the arrest report as Edward Colton, was pulled over and taken into custody.

Colton was arrested and charged with carjacking with a firearm or deadly weapon. He was transported to the pre-trial detention center.

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