2 men arrested, found with gun and stolen mailbox key after high speed chase in St. Johns County

FRUIT COVE, Fla. — A high speed chase and pit maneuver in St. Johns County took down two men who now face several mail theft related charges.

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Twenty-eight-year-old Darren Simmons and 27-year-old Anthony Kemp were spotted early Thursday morning by deputies, according to an arrest report. Deputies tried to make a traffic stop, but the suspects took off, heading down State Road 13. A Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) was immediately initiated and the suspects were later taken into custody. Simmons and Kemp had dozens of pieces of stolen mail, gloves, a mask, a firearm, and a stolen mailbox master key inside their car, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

Related Story: INVESTIGATES: Thieves attack postal carriers to steal your mail

Action News Jax told you last week about our special investigation into attacks on mail carriers and thefts of their belongings. In Florida, there have been at least 105 physical assaults on mail carriers and at least 50 robberies.

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This includes an armed robbery, last June, in Jacksonville. In that case, a suspect pointed a loaded handgun at a mail carrier’s chest. Body camera video shows the carrier explaining to police what happened. The mailer carrier said the suspect asked if he had an arrow key on him, and then the suspect took it. The post office said it was offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

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We asked the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office if the two arrests were linked to the armed robbery case in Jacksonville. We were referred to the Post Master’s office. We’re waiting to hear back.