Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith has reported the arrest of four individuals, including two minors, following a traffic stop on Friday night that also led to the recovery of several stolen firearms.
The incident unfolded in Bradford County, Florida, when deputies pulled over a silver BMW on the U.S. 301 Bypass near mile marker 1 at around 9:45 p.m. Sheriff Smith shared details of the arrest on Facebook the following Saturday.
According to Smith, the vehicle was driven by Elijah Beckford, accompanied by passengers Michael Hunter, Rodney Watson, and Jabari Reid, all of whom hail from Gainesville. Rodney and Jabari are juveniles, the sheriff confirmed.
During the traffic stop, Jabari reportedly exited the backseat and sprinted across four lanes of traffic “into the dark,” with what appeared to be a rifle-caliber pistol in hand, Smith said.
“Deputies gave chase immediately as Jabari ran alongside a high fence bordering a retention pond,” stated Sheriff Smith. “After a brief foot pursuit, deputies apprehended Jabari, who no longer had the firearm and denied having discarded it.”
“Deputies immediately gave chase as Jabari ran alongside a high fence bordering a retention pond,” Smith said. “When deputies caught up to Jabari after a short foot pursuit, he was no longer in possession of the firearm and denied ever discarding anything.”
According to Smith, Beckford, Hunter, Rodney and Jabari had just stolen a loaded rifle caliber AR-style pistol and another loaded handgun just before the stop, and were also in possession of a third stolen handgun out of Marion County.
The four were detained on scene, while deputies and Florida Highway Patrol troopers continued investigating, Smith said. During this time, a victim reportedly called the sheriff’s office and reported that four males had just stolen his two guns and left in a silver BMW SUV.
“Despite all suspects attempting to mislead law enforcement, the rifle-caliber pistol was located on the edge of the retention pond and the other two handguns were located hidden under a seat,” Sheriff Smith said.
Beckford, Hunter, Rodney and Jabri have each been charged with two counts of grand theft of a firearm, according to Smith. Rodney and Jabari have additionally been charged with possession of a handgun under 18 years of age. Only Jabari was charged with resisting a law enforcement officer without violence and attempting to conceal/destroy evidence.
