SANTA ROSA BEACH, Fla. (WDNews) — According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, an Alabama man was taken into custody Sunday night after deputies said he fled from a traffic stop, leading to a brief pursuit in Santa Rosa Beach.
The sheriff’s office said the incident began just before 8 p.m. when a deputy attempted to stop a white Mercedes-Benz sedan traveling westbound on U.S. Highway 98 at what deputies described as “a high rate of speed.”
Authorities identified the driver as Leon Edward Carr, 42, of Montgomery, Alabama. According to the sheriff’s office, Carr fled from deputies before a sergeant spotted the vehicle traveling southbound on North County Highway 283.
Deputies said the sergeant attempted to prevent the vehicle from returning to Highway 98 when Carr “attempted to pull away.”
According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, “A PIT maneuver was done on the vehicle. Carr was held at gunpoint, and a taser was deployed a moment later.”
Carr was taken into custody and charged with DUI, refusal to submit to a DUI test, fleeing and eluding, driving on a suspended license, and two counts of obstruction, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office also reported that one westbound lane of U.S. Highway 98 near North County Highway 283 was temporarily blocked while deputies responded to the incident. No injuries were reported.
