SPRING HILL, Fla. — An accused carjacker was caught by deputies after a chaotic scene at an area convenience store.
Hernando County deputies were dispatched around 1 p.m. Thursday to a call about a man trying to steal cars from the parking lot of a Circle K on Deltona Boulevard in Spring Hill.
Deputies say a driver parked his 2021 Hyundai Elantra in front of the store, left the car running and went inside while his adult son waited in the front passenger seat. As the driver was inside, investigators say 30-year-old accused carjacker Timothy James Holbert Sr. opened the unlocked driver's door, got inside, turned to the driver's son and said “Wanna go for a ride?”
At that time, deputies say Holbert began backing out of the parking spot.
The son tried to push Holbert out of the car, investigators say, but Holbert punched him repeatedly in the face and tried to wrap a seat belt around his neck. At some point, deputies say the son managed to shut off the car.
Authorities say the dad saw the mayhem as he came back outside and yanked Holbert out of his car.
But, the ordeal didn't end there.
Investigators say Holbert then ran to an unoccupied 2006 Chevrolet Avalanche. It was locked, but authorities say Holbert pulled so hard that he broke the driver's door handle.
From inside the convenience store, the pickup truck's owner saw what was happening and asked workers to call 911 as he rushed outside. At that point, Holbert reportedly ran off.
"A third customer, who was also witnessing the events unfold, used his phone to record images of Holbert as he fled the area," the Hernando County Sheriff's Office explained on Facebook. "Patrol deputies, with assistance from K-9, converged on the area in an attempt to locate Holbert."
Deputies say they watched video on the customer's phone and figured out who Holbert was because they'd both had prior run-ins with him.
Authorities arrested him around 4:30 p.m. after a 911 caller reported seeing him in the area of Shannon Avenue and Freeport Drive.
Holbert was booked on charges of carjacking, false imprisonment, conveyance burglary, and grand theft auto.
His bond was initially set at $57,000 on those charges. But, he won't be allowed to bond out. That's because deputies say he was already on felony probation for the grand theft of a motor vehicle. Thus, he'll stay in jail for the time being.
