Suspect crashes in police chase, tries carjacking another vehicle: PSLPD

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — A routine traffic stop in Port St. Lucie ended with three people in the hospital after the suspect tried to make a run for it, according to the Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD).

“That just goes to show you from zero to 60, how fast some things just escalate,” Dominick Mesiti, a spokesperson for PSLPD, said.

Christopher Brown, 42 from Riviera Beach, allegedly tried carjacking another vehicle Thursday morning after crashing his car head-on into an oncoming SUV, PSLPD reported. When officers caught up with the man, he was allegedly trying to carjack a black SUV that had stopped at the scene.

"He then exited his own vehicle, saw that there was another vehicle that was stopped at the scene, and entered the driver's side of that vehicle. That driver, being in fear, exited out their passenger side," Mesiti said.

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According to the police department, it all started when the suspect was pulled over by one of its officers for careless driving, on Southeast Veteran’s Memorial Parkway, near the Southeast Lyngate Drive intersection, around 9:20 a.m.

"The gentleman was acting erratically. The officer was able to get his license and at some point when the officer went back to the patrol car to verify and validate the license, Mr. Brown decided to flee the traffic stop," Mesiti said.

The officer reported that Brown took off and ran a red light. He only made it about a mile south before crashing and jumping into someone else’s car, the police department’s post continued. Both people in that vehicle ended up being taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

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Officers said they had to deploy a taser on brown several times, but even that didn’t stop him.

“For whatever reason, whether he was in a mental crisis or if he was on narcotics or alcohol or a combination of all three. The suspect was able to withstand the taser deployment, multiple deployments, pulling barbs out of his body. And so the officers then had to go hands-on with physically removing him from the vehicle and take him into custody,” Mesiti said.

Brown was transported to the hospital for treatment. Once he’s cleared, his next stop is the St. Lucie County Jail.

It’s unclear if Brown was under the influence of any kind.