Man accused of road rage leads officers on 30-mile chase, then is shot, Florida cops say
As officers tried to pull over a man reported in a road rage incident, they embarked on a nearly 30-mile chase, then shot him, Florida authorities said.
Charles Guernsey, 45, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.
His attorney information is not available in jail records.
At around 1 a.m. on May 21, a man flagged down law enforcement to tell them Guernsey was driving in front of him in a Chevrolet Silverado and “brake checked” him, according to an arrest report.
The man said he confronted Guernsey, who is accused of pulling out a gun and threatening the other man’s life.
Officers spotted Guernsey and turned on their lights to pull him over, but he fled, Chief of Investigations Alan Parker said during a news conference.
Police and the Florida Highway Patrol chased him for 25 to 30 miles, but PIT maneuvers couldn’t stop his pickup truck, authorities said.
“During the pursuit the suspect vehicle reached speeds of over 100 mph several times putting the lives of the officers and innocent citizens on the roadway at risk,” police wrote in the arrest report.
Eventually, they deflated his tires and brought him to a stop, but he jumped out of the vehicle, Parker said.
That’s when officer Stephen Hicks fired multiple rounds, striking Guernsey, Parker said.
It’s the officer’s second shooting in three years, according to the chief. The previous shooting occurred during a burglary in February 2022, and the State Attorney’s Office for Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit found it justified.
Parker said law enforcement didn’t recover a weapon from the scene immediately after the shooting and were waiting for a warrant to search his truck.
Guernsey is charged with fleeing an officer while disregarding the safety of others, according to Jacksonville jail records.
This story was originally published May 21, 2024 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Man accused of road rage leads officers on 30-mile chase, then is shot, Florida cops say."