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Man Wanted in 3 Killings Is Locked in Armed Standoff on Florida Highway Man Wanted in 3 Killings Is Locked in Armed Standoff on Florida Highway
(about 2 hours later)
A man accused of killing three people in Georgia was locked in an armed standoff with the authorities on a Florida highway on Wednesday afternoon after he crashed his car and handed over his 2-year-old son, the police said. A man accused of killing three people in Georgia was locked in an armed standoff with the authorities on a Florida highway on Wednesday night after he crashed his car and handed over his 2-year-old son, the police said.
The man, Caesar Zamien Lamar Crockett Jr., kidnapped his son, King Crockett, after fatally shooting three family members in Macon, Ga., on Tuesday night, according to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.The man, Caesar Zamien Lamar Crockett Jr., kidnapped his son, King Crockett, after fatally shooting three family members in Macon, Ga., on Tuesday night, according to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.
The authorities issued an Amber Alert for the child and spotted Mr. Crockett at around 1:27 p.m. on Wednesday in Tampa, where Florida Highway Patrol officers tried to stop his car, according to the sheriff’s office.The authorities issued an Amber Alert for the child and spotted Mr. Crockett at around 1:27 p.m. on Wednesday in Tampa, where Florida Highway Patrol officers tried to stop his car, according to the sheriff’s office.
Mr. Crockett, 29, tried to drive away, leading the police on a chase that reached speeds of 120 miles an hour as he raced along both the east- and westbound sides of Interstate 4, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.Mr. Crockett, 29, tried to drive away, leading the police on a chase that reached speeds of 120 miles an hour as he raced along both the east- and westbound sides of Interstate 4, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
While driving off an exit ramp on the eastbound side, Mr. Crockett crashed his 2007 Pontiac G5. Mr. Crockett then handed his son to officers, unharmed, the sheriff’s office said. While driving off an exit ramp on the eastbound side, Mr. Crockett crashed his 2007 Pontiac G5 into the back of a truck, then spun around and hit a Florida Highway Patrol car, said Sgt. Steve Gaskins, a spokesman for the Florida agency.
But Mr. Crockett refused to surrender, the sheriff’s office said, leading to an hourslong standoff on the exit ramp that drew more than than 50 law enforcement officers from various agencies. Mr. Crockett’s son then got out of the car and was scooped up by officers, Sgt. Gaskins said. The child was unharmed, he said.
The Tampa police said Wednesday afternoon that Mr. Crockett remained barricaded in a car on the exit off Interstate 4. The department said the eastbound side of the highway, just west of Highway 301, was shut down and helicopters were being warned to stay away.
But Mr. Crockett put a gun to his own head, Sargeant Gaskins said, leading to an hourslong standoff on the exit ramp that drew more than 50 law enforcement officers from various agencies.
“We’re waiting for him to make a decision,” Sargeant Gaskins said on Wednesday evening.
He said Mr. Crockett remained barricaded in his car on the exit off Interstate 4 as police negotiators tried to talk to him. The Tampa Police Department said the eastbound side of the highway, just west of Highway 301, was shut down and helicopters were being warned to stay away.
Live coverage of the scene from WFTS-TV in Tampa showed two lanes of traffic inching by on the highway while a large number of police cars blocked the exit ramp.Live coverage of the scene from WFTS-TV in Tampa showed two lanes of traffic inching by on the highway while a large number of police cars blocked the exit ramp.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said the manhunt began after Mr. Crockett got into a fight with King’s mother, Jamila Augustine French, 30, inside her home in Macon on Tuesday night.The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said the manhunt began after Mr. Crockett got into a fight with King’s mother, Jamila Augustine French, 30, inside her home in Macon on Tuesday night.
During the fight, Mr. Crockett pulled a gun and shot to death Ms. French’s mother, Janet Samuel, 67; her stepfather, James Samuel, 69; and her sister Lechasta Childs, 47, the sheriff’s office said.During the fight, Mr. Crockett pulled a gun and shot to death Ms. French’s mother, Janet Samuel, 67; her stepfather, James Samuel, 69; and her sister Lechasta Childs, 47, the sheriff’s office said.
Ms. French, who was injured during the fight, was treated at a hospital and released, the office said.Ms. French, who was injured during the fight, was treated at a hospital and released, the office said.