This afternoon, a police chase through Northwest Gainesville ended in a lawyer’s office – literally.
Gainesville Police Department’s (GPD) Public Information Officer Cpl. Tscharna Senn said before the crash occurred, robbery suspect Michael Holmes, 28, was driving about 50 miles per hour heading west on NW 23 Avenue, where the maximum
speed limit is 35 miles per hour.
Holmes was going through the intersection at NW 6th Street when he lost control of the ‘90s model maroon Pontiac Bonneville he was driving and crashed through the front of the building of Dora Kerner, Attorney at Law, located on the south side of 23 Avenue at Northwest Eighth Street.
It was unclear Friday afternoon if Holmes was the registered owner of the car.
An unidentified witness, who contacted police, said they saw Holmes snatch a woman’s purse in the parking lot of the WalMart store on Waldo Road. The woman was dragged to the ground in the process and suffered some minor injuries to her arm, for which Gainesville Fire-Rescue paramedics treated her at the scene.
Police said the witness followed the car as far as they could, and by the time the witness lost the car, a police helicopter was already in pursuit. Vehicles on the ground then continued to chase the Pontiac. Holmes repeatedly failed to stop, putting other people and cars at great risk, Senn said of the way he was driving.
There was a second suspect in the car, who police say got out somewhere between Wal-Mart and the crash site. Detectives are in the process of locating and identifying that suspect.
At the time of the crash, a 2-year-old girl was also in the car. She did not appear to have any serious injuries but was taken to Shands as a precaution and because of her age and the nature of the incident, Senn said.
It is unknown whether the girl was sitting in the front or back seat. There did not appear to be a car seat in the vehicle, and it is not known whether anyone in the car was wearing seatbelts.
The suspect driving the car, Holmes, did not appear to be injured. He was arrested at the scene of the crash and is being charged with robbery, aggravated fleeing and eluding and a yet-to-be-determined child abuse charge, police said. His relationship to the child is not yet known.
Senn said the Alachua County Sherriff’s Office was issuing a warrant today for Holmes’ arrest regarding a purse snatching in the parking lot in front of the Beall's Outlet store at 1103 NW 76th Blvd. last Sunday.
There was at least one person inside when Holmes drove through the front of the building, but Senn said no one was hurt. The damage costs are still unclear.
Fleeing suspect hits a brick wall in attempted escape
By GLENN COINE
This afternoon, a police chase through Northwest Gainesville ended in a lawyer’s office – literally.
Gainesville Police Department’s (GPD) Public Information Officer Cpl. Tscharna Senn said before the crash occurred, robbery suspect Michael Holmes, 28, was driving about 50 miles per hour heading west on NW 23 Avenue, where the maximum speed limit is 35 miles per hour.
Holmes was going through the intersection at NW 6th Street when he lost control of the ‘90s model maroon Pontiac Bonneville he was driving and crashed through the front of the building of Dora Kerner, Attorney at Law, located on the south side of 23 Avenue at Northwest Eighth Street.
It was unclear Friday afternoon if Holmes was the registered owner of the car.
An unidentified witness, who contacted police, said they saw Holmes snatch a woman’s purse in the parking lot of the WalMart store on Waldo Road. The woman was dragged to the ground in the process and suffered some minor injuries to her arm, for which Gainesville Fire-Rescue paramedics treated her at the scene.
Police said the witness followed the car as far as they could, and by the time the witness lost the car, a police helicopter was already in pursuit. Vehicles on the ground then continued to chase the Pontiac. Holmes repeatedly failed to stop, putting other people and cars at great risk, Senn said of the way he was driving.
There was a second suspect in the car, who police say got out somewhere between Wal-Mart and the crash site. Detectives are in the process of locating and identifying that suspect.
At the time of the crash, a 2-year-old girl was also in the car. She did not appear to have any serious injuries but was taken to Shands as a precaution and because of her age and the nature of the incident, Senn said.
It is unknown whether the girl was sitting in the front or back seat. There did not appear to be a car seat in the vehicle, and it is not known whether anyone in the car was wearing seatbelts.
The suspect driving the car, Holmes, did not appear to be injured. He was arrested at the scene of the crash and is being charged with robbery, aggravated fleeing and eluding and a yet-to-be-determined child abuse charge, police said. His relationship to the child is not yet known.
Senn said the Alachua County Sherriff’s Office was issuing a warrant today for Holmes’ arrest regarding a purse snatching in the parking lot in front of the Beall's Outlet store at 1103 NW 76th Blvd. last Sunday.
There was at least one person inside when Holmes drove through the front of the building, but Senn said no one was hurt. The damage costs are still unclear.