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Hardee deputies say dangerous car chase ended near 5K race with more than 500 participants

Five men were arrested and charged with attempted first degree murder and firing a weapon into an occupied vehicle.

HARDEE COUNTY, Fla. — Five people are accused of driving away from deputies Friday night in a truck in Hardee County in relation to a shooting and then causing a crash, authorities say.

Trinton Lee, Junior Louis, Zikevious Knowles and Daniel Mabry are all charged with attempted first-degree murder, firing a weapon into an occupied vehicle and using a two-way device to facilitate a felony. A fifth man, Jasiah Sison is being held on a violation of probation charge.

The five men are accused of being involved in a shooting at the intersection of State Road 66 and South Orange Blossom Boulevard that left a 25-year-old man in critical condition, the Hardee County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post.

   

The shooting was reported to the Highlands County Sheriff's Office at 6:42 p.m., and moments later, a red truck that was at the scene of the shooting was located in Hardee County and was pursued by law enforcement, deputies say. 

The truck was reportedly involved in a crash in Wauchula and the five men were taken into custody. 

The sheriff's office says Sende Me Missions, a nonprofit organization in the area, had just begun their 5K race four blocks away when the pursuit began and had more than 500 people participating as runners of all ages filled the streets. 

"Deputies were aware this race was taking place and recognized that the threat of danger to the pedestrians would be immense if the vehicle continued in the direction of the race," the sheriff's office wrote in the Facebook post. "The deputies’ swift actions to disable the vehicle not only allowed the capture of the suspects but also avoided what could have been a much more tragic ending."

Four of the five men arrested are being held in the Hardee County jail as they wait for extradition back to Highlands County, law enforcement says.

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