LAKE WALES, Fla. – A 56-year-old man was arrested Thursday after leading police on a chase in a stolen vehicle following a series of crimes in Lake Wales.
The suspect, identified as Dwayne Edward Williams of Pompano Beach, Florida, initially attempted to steal merchandise from the Walmart Supercenter in Lake Wales. Confronted by loss prevention employees, Williams fled the store and entered the nearby Taylor Groves Subdivision.
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There, Williams approached a 2016 Ford Edge, which was running as its owner was retrieving mail from a community mailbox. When the victim tried to stop Williams, the suspect forcibly entered the vehicle and accelerated, striking the victim and knocking him to the ground. The victim sustained minor injuries.
Shortly after the carjacking, Lake Wales Police officers located the stolen vehicle on Lilly Street and attempted to make contact with Williams. He fled in the stolen Ford Edge, prompting a pursuit that ended near 1st Street and Stuart Avenue.
With heavy pedestrian traffic in the area, officers executed a PIT (Precision Immobilization Technique) maneuver to safely bring the vehicle to a stop. Williams was apprehended without further incident.
Williams now faces multiple charges, including:
- Carjacking
- Fleeing to Elude
- Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer
- Resisting an Officer with Violence
- Felony Retail Theft
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