OCALA, Fla. — A convicted felon was arrested Tuesday after police say he attempted to carjack an off-duty law enforcement officer then led authorities on a chase across multiple counties.
Ocala police responded to a report of an armed carjacking shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday at the intersection of State Road 200 and SW 38th Street.
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According to police, the victim was rear-ended at the intersection, then robbed at gunpoint by the suspect, later identified as 36-year-old Morris Moore.
Police say Moore took the victim’s wallet, phone, and watch, then drove away in his 2021 Chevrolet Camaro. A female suspect then got into the driver’s seat of their car and followed the victim’s vehicle from the area.
Police say the victim, who happened to be an off-duty Florida Highway Patrol Trooper, had OnStar installed on the Camaro, allowing authorities to track the car as it headed southbound on the Turnpike.
A Lake County deputy attempted to stop Moore but he fled, leading deputies on a chase that continued into Orange County before OnStar was able to stop the car.
According to Police, Moore still wasn’t done as he then ran from the car on foot and dove into a nearby pond.
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With assistance from a K-9 unit from the Winter Garden Police Department, deputies tracked Moore and found him hiding in the water under a dock.
Police say Moore was already on probation for armed burglary at the time of the carjacking, and has a long history of felony convictions including previously fleeing from law enforcement, and a vehicular homicide for which he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Moore faces a new set of charges for Tuesday’s incident to include armed carjacking and being a convicted felon in possession of a gun.
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Police say they’re still looking for the woman who helped drive the initial suspect vehicle from the carjacking location. It’s described as a silver Volkswagen Sedan.
They’re asking anyone with information on the case to contact the police department at (352) 369-7000. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers of Marion County at (352) 368-7867.
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