JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two men were arrested Sunday afternoon after fleeing from police vehicles in a rented Chrysler 300 on Interstate 95 northbound, according to multiple arrest reports.
The driver, Andre Romero Dupree Jr., 22, was spotted driving erratically by two Jacksonville Sheriff's officers on the west side of Jacksonville.
Officers reported seeing Dupree run stop signs, make sharp turns, drive on the wrong side of the road and, once, almost strike a child riding a bicycle – Dupree had to swerve the car and drive over the sidewalk to avoid the child.
When the two officers turned on their lights and sirens, Dupree, with a passenger in tow, sped up and took off.
The chase began on McDuff Avenue going southbound, but eventually made its way all the way to I-95 at 8th Street. Dupree was reportedly driving through all three lanes of traffic on the Interstate and going more than 80 miles per hour.
Eventually, Dupree's erratic driving ended the chase. He side-swiped a black Mercedes on I-95, totaling that vehicle, before smashing into a FDOT sign and rolling the 300 on the roadway. It came to rest on the shoulder of I-95, on its side.
Officers reported that Dupree was knocked unconscious by the wreck.
The passenger, however, Christopher Derell Bing, 24, climbed out of the broken back window and ran off. He tried to escape by hopping a fence near the Interstate. A pursuing JSO officer told Bing to stop running or he would be tased several times, according to the arrest report.
Bing ignored the commands and was tased. He was then taken into custody and charged with resisting an officer without violence and riding in a vehicle without wearing a seat belt.
Back at the Chrysler 300, officers could see a loaded AK-47 rifle between Dupree's legs. The rifle was reported stolen in 2006.
They also checked his pocket and found marijuana in a plastic bag.
Officers had Dupree transported to UF Health In the backseat, officers reportedly found a Glock 22 handgun with an extended magazine.
Dupree was charged with a myriad of things, from running multiple stop signs to marijuana possession.
He is a convicted felon - having brought a firearm on a school campus back in 2008.
He's being charged with a second-degree felony for possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Dupree is not eligible for bond.
Bing is held on $2,508 bond.
