Hit-and-Run Driver Leads Fla. Deputies on 'Possibly the Slowest Chase' in Area

Oct. 3, 2024

Speeds hit 3 mph as Flagler County sheriff's deputies pursued a suspect in a hit-and-run crash as the driver fled on a flat tire in torrential rain.

By Mark Price

Source The Charlotte Observer

A hit-and-run suspect driving with a flat tire refused to stop for pursuing deputies, resulting in “possibly the slowest chase” in local history, according to investigators in North Florida.

Speeds hit 3 mph in the minutes in torrential rain before the Kia Sorento got stuck in a ditch, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Even then, the 33-year-old driver, identified as Kyle McNary, refused to exit the SUV, resulting in deputies shattering a window to reach him, officials said.

The odd pursuit happened Sept. 25 in the Bunnell area, and started after someone reported being booted out of a vehicle by the suspect during a dispute, the sheriff’s office said. Bunnell is about a 70-mile drive south from Jacksonville.

“As McNary left the victim on the side of the road, he drove to the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and Otis Stone Hunter Road where he was involved in a hit-and-run with injuries,” officials said.

Deputies quickly found the Kia “driving slowly” on U.S. 1 and attempted a traffic stop with no success. A device was then used to puncture the car’s tires, resulting in one being deflated, officials said.

“But McNary continued to try and get away, at this point traveling at two to three miles per hour,” the sheriff’s office said. “McNary made several U-turns across the median and eventually the SUV got stuck in a ditch on the side of the road.”

Breaking out a window compelled the Palm Coast resident to surrender and follow commands, resulting in him being charged with: