Palm Coast, FL - A traffic stop early this morning (December 30) results in a car chase, the deployment of Stop Sticks, a crash and then a drug arrest. Flagler County Sheriff's deputies say 30-year-old Dwayne Carty was stopped after making a left turn into oncoming traffic on S.R. 100 near the I-95 North on-ramp at 1:40 a.m.
Carty presented a Jamaican driver's license when asked for I.D. He told deputies that he was unfamiliar with the area which is why he made that turn. A passenger in the car, 21-year-old Shareef Mpuang, provided a United States Visa as identification. The men told deputies they were traveling from West Palm Beach to St. Augustine. Deputies stated there were no signs of luggage or long-distance travel in the vehicle. A check of the registration shows the vehicle is registered to a female with no relation to the suspects in the vehicle.
Carty volunteered to let deputies search the vehicle. They asked him to open the trunk and he complied. Deputies say initially, they saw nothing in the trunk. They lifted the floor lining to expose the spare tire which is when they say a plastic bag tied closed on top of the tire. As the bag was removed and untied, Carty put the vehicle in drive and took off at a high rate of speed. The deputy still had the bag in his hand and found a large vacuum-sealed bag containing a large amount of green leafy substance wrapped in multiple layers of packaging. The substance was identified as marijuana, the quantity was 323 grams or a bit less than 12 ounces.
Carty traveled north on I-95, exiting at Palm Coast Parkway. Deputies were able to successfully deploy Stop Sticks deflating the vehicle's tires. Carty continued driving, headed westbound on Palm Coast Parkway, subsequently crashed into a green Spectrum cable box at the driveway entrance to the rear of the US Postal Office.
Deputies say Carty fled on foot while his passenger, Mpuang stayed in the vehicle and was arrested. The investigation revealed that Mpuang had altered his U.S. Visa illegally after it expired. He's charged with Unauthorized Possession of an Identification Card. Post Office employees told deputies that Carty was hiding under the building.
“These guys put the lives of our deputies in danger when they decided to flee while deputies were searching the vehicle,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “We are thankful that no one was injured. This highlights the dangers deputies face on a daily basis and how a routine traffic stop can change quickly.”
Carty faces a slew of charges: Possession of Marijuana,
Fleeing Law Enforcement, Reckless Driving, Leaving the Scene of a Crash Involving Damage, Tampering with Evidence, and Resisting an Officer without Violence.
Adding to the problems for the two suspects U.S. Customs and Border Protection determined they were unlawfully residing within the United States and requested they be held for their agency.
