NORTH MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A carjacking and kidnapping suspect has been arrested in North Miami-Dade after his alleged crimes were caught by surveillance cameras in Martin County.
Jaquay Marlon Jean, 21, was arrested on Monday along Northwest 140th Street and Third Avenue and made an appearance in court a day later.
“We don’t have cases like that out of Martin County,” said Martin County Sheriff William Snyder.
According to deputies, a family of four were in their car on their way home to South Florida from Disney, Sunday afternoon.
They stopped at a Mobil gas station in Palm City, and that is when, deputies said, cameras showed Jean attempted to get the driver out from behind the wheel of the car.
“It’s pretty unceremonious. He just pulled up [and said] ‘Out! Out! Out!’” said Snyder.
The video showed him walking up to the car, then trying over and over again to get the young woman who was driving the car out.
He finally did, but with her mother and baby in the back of the car, she tried to fight back.
“Someone stole my car with my mom and my nephew in it,” a victim told a 911 operator. “He pulled my sister out of the driver’s seat.”
The armed man pushed her down and took off. The brother and sister, who said they were in shock, ran for help. The woman behind the wheel suffered minor injuries, deputies said.
”They weren’t serious injuries,” said Snyder. “I’m sure it was some kind of road rash abrasions.”
After driving about a mile away, Jean allegedly forced the grandmother and the baby from the car and left them behind.
Deputies later safely rescued them.
A massive manhunt started from there, and on Monday, Miami-Dade Police, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service tracked down the alleged carjacker in a North Miami-Dade neighborhood.
“Finally, maybe within the hour, our task force people apprehended the suspect,” said Snyder. “They used what we call a high-profile stop. They were able to drive into the vehicle to keep it from fleeing.”
Pictures from the arrest showed the damage done to the vehicle as well as the alleged carjacker in the back of a squad car.
As he was escorted into the jail, Jean apologized for his crimes while hiding his face from 7News’ cameras.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Deputies said he was trying to get away in a different vehicle, but team work among several law enforcement agencies kept that from happening.
“We’re fortunate to have the South Florida task force team with us,” said Snyder. “We had detectives from the Miami-Dade Police Department, the Marshals task force was there, of course, Martin County Sheriff’s Office were there.”
Following the arrest of the suspect in North Miami-Dade, he was later transported back to Martin County.
“This is a bad one, though,” said Snyder. “He’s got two life felonies — kidnapping and the armed carjacking. He does face life in prison.”
He is being held on $400,000 bond.
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