A Jacksonville man was arrested last week after speeding through a St. Augustine preschool’s parking lot while fleeing police, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies spotted Hector Suarez De La Barrera driving a car with a stolen license plate and attempted to pull him over on Old Moultrie Road last Thursday, a police report states.
Rather than stop, the suspect allegedly tried to elude police by cutting through a preschool parking lot as it was letting out for the day.
“The defendant had no regard for the lives and safety of the kids and parents in the parking lot of the preschool,” deputies noted in the report.
After coming to a stop behind the preschool, Suarez De La Barrera exited the vehicle and fled on foot.
He was eventually tased and handcuffed.
The suspect declined to speak after being read his Miranda rights.
De La Barrera was charged with fleeing and eluding with disregard for public safety, resisting an officer without violence, and theft.
The case is ongoing.
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