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Fleeing man arrested after beating, kidnapping ex-girlfriend in DeLand, report says

By Kelly Healey
By Kelly Healey
A man was arrested early Tuesday after he punched his ex-girlfriend in the face and forced her into the trunk of her car, officials with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies said Tanisha Hill was at her apartment Monday night on East New Hampshire Avenue in DeLand when her ex-boyfriend, Darrian Miler, demanded she give him a ride to his car.

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Hill drove Miler to the 600 block of Margaret Street where he demanded she get out of the car, deputies said. When Hill refused, Miler walked to the driver’s side and began punching Hill several times in the face, investigators said.
Miler than popped the trunk and forced her inside after taking her cellphone, credit cards and money, a news release said. He told her she was not allowed to call anyone and proceeded to punch her continuously in the face before shutting the trunk, deputies said.   

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Hill was able to use the trunk release and started screaming, causing residents to come out of their homes, deputies said. The residents approached the pair, but Miler started punching Hill again and tried to force her back into the trunk, deputies said.
"She ... drew the attention of some people in the area who came out and luckily were able to distract our defendant enough that she was able to get away," Sheriff's Office spokesman Andrew Gant said.
When Miler confronted the residents, Hill ran to a nearby Family Food Market to call for help, Gant said.  

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Miler then stole Hill’s vehicle, deputies said. Responding deputies said Hill had swelling on her nose, lips, and cheeks and three of her front, upper teeth had been broken and knocked out. Her shirt was covered in blood, deputies said.
Volusia County Sheriff’s Office deputies said Daytona Beach police used a license plate reader to locate Miler driving Hill’s car just after midnight Tuesday on LPGA and International Speedway boulevards. Miler then drove with speeds up to 120 mph west into DeLand as authorities followed him, the release said.
The car’s tires were punctured when authorities used stop sticks. The car stopped on the 1300 block of Julia Avenue and Miler was taken into custody, deputies said.  
Miler was taken to Florida Hospital DeLand where he said he was going to “kill himself before being in jail for life,” deputies said.
"You've gotta respect her for being willing to step forward, tell us what happened and pursue charges against her attacker," Gant said.
Miler was booked into the Volusia County Jail without bail on charges of carjacking, false imprisonment, kidnapping, depriving 911, robbery and felony battery (domestic violence) (prior convictions reference battery).
The Volusia County Branch Jail was notified of Miler's suicidal threat.
Fleeing abduction suspect arrested

***Update: Body-camera footage of Darrian Miler's arrest is available at: https://www.facebook.com/VolusiaSheriff/videos/1798392933533234/ Thanks to the Daytona Beach Police Department and DeLand Police Department for their assistance on this call. It should be noted VCSO was alerted to the stolen vehicle’s location in Daytona Beach shortly after midnight thanks to License Plate Reader technology.*** DEPUTIES CATCH FLEEING SUSPECT WHO BEAT UP EX-GIRLFRIEND, LOCKED HER IN TRUNK A DeLand man who beat his girlfriend, locked her in the trunk of a car and later fled from Volusia County sheriff’s deputies at speeds reaching about 120 mph was taken into custody early Tuesday on a long list of felony charges. The incident began Monday night at the Family Food Market at 1104 W. Euclid Ave., DeLand, where deputies responded around 9 p.m. to a report of an abduction. The victim told deputies her ex-boyfriend, 42-year-old Darrian Miler (DOB 4/23/1976) had demanded she drive him somewhere. She did, but when they arrived in the 600 block of Margaret Street, he demanded she get out of the car. She refused, so Miler got out, went to the driver’s door, punched the victim several times and popped the trunk. She said he took her cell phone, bank card and money, and told her she wouldn’t be calling anyone. Then he forced her into the trunk, punching her several more times, and closed the lid. The victim used the trunk release to open the lid and scream for help, and residents in the area started to gather. Miler punched the victim some more and tried to close the trunk on her again, but when he was preoccupied with the witnesses, the victim was able to escape and run toward the Family Food Market. Responding deputies immediately noticed her face was swollen, her shirt was covered in blood and its neck had been ripped. But Miler had already fled the area in the victim’s vehicle. While there were initial reports of possible shots fired in the incident, it was determined no shooting occurred. The vehicle was spotted just after midnight in the area of Champions Gate Drive and LPGA Boulevard in Daytona Beach. Miler fled from Daytona Beach police and headed back to DeLand on International Speedway Boulevard, where he reached speeds of 120 mph as he continued to flee. Deputies deployed stop sticks on the vehicle, and Miler eventually stopped and surrendered at 1385 Julie Ave., DeLand. He complained of back pain and was taken to Florida Hospital DeLand to be medically cleared before transport to the Volusia County Branch Jail, where he was held without bond on charges of: Carjacking Kidnapping False imprisonment Robbery Tampering with a witness Felony battery Fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement Driving while license suspended

Posted by Volusia Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, May 22, 2018

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