EUSTIS, Fla. — A Clermont man with multiple outstanding warrants out of Georgia was arrested Monday night after allegedly fleeing from a traffic stop and traveling through several Lake County communities before hitting stop sticks in Eustis, according to an arrest affidavit.
Brandon Stuart Brown, 32, is facing charges of fleeing to elude, attaching tag not assigned, driving while license suspended, canceled or revoked as a habitual offender and operating an unregistered motor vehicle.
Around 10 p.m., a Lake County Sheriff’s Office corporal observed a dark-colored Chevrolet Tahoe traveling north on U.S. Highway 27 near State Road 19 with no operational tag lights and an expired temporary tag. When deputies attempted a traffic stop, the Tahoe allegedly accelerated and continued north on U.S. Highway 27 at speeds exceeding 85 mph in a 55-mph zone, according to the affidavit. Deputies activated emergency lights and sirens, but the vehicle failed to stop. The traffic stop was then terminated, and deputies began remotely tracking the vehicle.
The vehicle continued north on U.S. Highway 27 before turning east on Dixie Avenue in Leesburg, then traveling east on U.S. Highway 441 and north on County Road 44, according to the affidavit. LCSO helicopter Eagle One later began tracking the vehicle and providing location updates to deputies. Deputies deployed stop sticks near County Road 44 and County Road 452, disabling the Tahoe’s tires and causing the vehicle to stop, according to the affidavit.
Brown exited the vehicle and ran toward a fence line as deputies arrived on scene. Deputies gave Brown commands to stop and he complied, according to the affidavit; he was taken into custody without incident. Two passengers remained in the vehicle and were detained briefly before being released without charges.
Video courtesy of Alayna Briggs.
Brown told deputies the Tahoe belonged to him and apologized for fleeing from law enforcement, according to the affidavit. Brown also said he did not have a valid driver’s license and the vehicle was unregistered, but said he had a title for the vehicle and had lost it.
Brown also had outstanding warrants out of Georgia, including warrants for criminal damage, fleeing to elude law enforcement and driving while license suspended or reckless. He was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on $8,000 bond.
