Published on Tuesday, December 13, 2005
in the Florida Today

I-95 chase ends with 4 arrests

PORT ST. JOHN At least 70 law enforcement officers used automatic weapons, protective gear, dogs, helicopters and even two tanks to hunt down four suspected bank robbers who fled into the woods west of Interstate 95 on Monday afternoon.

The team of Brevard and Volusia county sheriffs deputies, DeLand police officers and Florida Highway Patrol troopers closed southbound I-95 for about two hours after the suspects jumped out of an SUV and fled into the woods about a mile from Enterprise Elementary School in Port St. John.

Two tanks were brought in to clear a path through the brush as officers searched for the suspects.

Officials said the men fired shots into the ceiling at Prosperity Bank in DeLand, took an undisclosed amount of money and fled. They led officials on a high-speed chase along I-95 reaching speeds of 110 mph and shot at officers who were in pursuit, FHP Sgt. Jorge Delahoz said.

The highway shooting is what led to the massive response that closed I-95, locked down four schools in Brevard County and backed up traffic in the area until at least 5 p.m.

The suspects were caught when K-9 units from the Brevard sheriffs office and police tracked them down. Three of them were bitten by dogs. No police officers were hurt in the incident.

Arrested were Charles Saulsby, 19, of Greenacres; James Winn, 21, of Lantana; Matthew Perry, 21, of Boynton Beach; and Jimmie Williams III, 23, of Boynton Beach. They face many charges, including robbery. FHP may charge them with attempted murder of a police officer, officials said. All are convicted felons, police said.

Williams was released from state prison in June after serving time for an armed robbery conviction.

After the lunchtime robbery, more than 40 members of the Volusia sheriffs office assisted DeLand police in a 40-mile search for the men across the county, said Brandon Haught, a spokesman for the sheriffs office.

By 1:30 p.m., the suspects headed southbound on I-95, with Volusia deputies and FHP troopers chasing them. Brevard sheriffs deputies forced the SUV to stop by using tire-deflating sticks. Police said the suspects fired at them as they fled a dark blue Chevrolet parked on the west side of I-95, next to the Ranch Road overpass in Port St. John.

The initial response was 23 law enforcement officers from the Brevard Sheriffs Office, 17 from the Volusia Sheriffs Office and 28 from FHP. That total number of responders hit about 100 when DeLand and Daytona Beach police, members of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and investigators later arrived at the scene, police said.

Two tanks from the Brevard Sheriffs Office and FHP protected police from possible gunfire. Police stood on cruisers with shotguns. Five helicopters, including news media choppers, flew over I-95. One of the helicopters temporarily landed on the highway to show officers on the ground video showing how many suspects had actually fled the vehicle. Police canvassed the woods. Officers carried shields normally seen during riots. The line of parked police vehicles along the highway reached almost a quarter-mile.

Nearby, Enterprise, Atlantis and Challenger 7 elementary schools and Space Coast Jr./Sr. High School were locked down to keep children safe, Brevard School spokeswoman Sara Stern said.

Parents who picked up their children after the incident were glad everyone was safe.

I was out Christmas shopping on Merritt Island I knew something was going on when I saw police helicopters hovering over the area, said Charlotte Cummins, who picked up her daughter at Space Coast about 4 p.m. I kept wondering why there was so much traffic, she said.

Police soon caught three of the four suspects, one near a barbed-wire fence and another two who climbed it and hid in the wooded area. A barefoot Winn, the fourth suspect, was arrested more than a half-hour later, police said. All were arrested less than 100 yards from the interstate in the wooded area.

Normally, when theyre not afraid to shoot at cops, youll see cops for miles, FHP Sgt. Delahoz said. In these instances, weve got all the time in the world. Theres more of us than there is of them, and were going to make sure to catch the bad guy and make it home.

When officers are threatened, all nearby departments tend to get involved to support one another, officials said.

Police on Monday said they found an undisclosed amount of money in the SUV and searched the wooded area for weapons. By Monday afternoon, there was no indication any had been found.

The suspects were interrogated by police agencies and were scheduled to be taken to the Brevard jail Monday night.

It was a good (police) showing and a very good response with a very happy conclusion, Sgt. Andrew Walters with the Brevard Sheriffs Office said.