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Jacksonville Jaguars’ Lerentee McCray arrested following high-speed chase, police say

Authorities arrested Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Lerentee McCray early Sunday following a police chase that reached speeds of up to 100 mph in Lake County, WJAX-TV reported.

>> PHOTOS: Jacksonville Jaguars’ Lerentee McCray through the years

In a police report obtained by the news station, authorities said McCray was behaving erratically and appeared to have an “altered mental status” before he was detained by authorities. He faces one count of fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, WJAX reported.

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The incident began just before 1 a.m. when a Fruitland Park police officer tried to pull over a speeding Dodge Ram in Lake County, according to a police report obtained by WJAX. The pickup truck did not stop and the driver, later identified as McCray, was seen making a crude “hand gesture using his middle finger” from out of the window, WJAX reported. During the subsequent high-speed chase, McCray swerved through multiple lanes of traffic, according to the news station.

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He stopped at a 7-Eleven gas station where a Tavares police officer was helping another officer with a traffic stop, according to WJAX. McCray got out of the truck and gave an officer he knew from the Astatula Police Department a fist bump before opening the Tavares police officer’s fuel door to try to buy him some gas, the news station reported.

In the police report, authorities said the officer told McCray that he didn’t need to buy the gas and that after some back and forth, the football player grabbed the officer’s wrist and “squeezed forcefully.” After being told to go back to his truck, McCray opened the back of the vehicle, pulled out a child-sized bicycle and put it on the truck’s hood, according to the report. Officers said he “was talking in circles” and that he laid on the ground behind his truck “as if he wanted to be handcuffed.”

Officers detained McCray “due to his erratic behavior,” WJAX reported, citing the police report. He was taken to a hospital for a medical evaluation, according to the news station.

Jacksonville Jaguars player Lerentee McCray was arrested over the weekend in Lake County.

Posted by Action News Jax on Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Later, officers from the Fruitland Park Police Department who were involved in the earlier police chase interviewed McCray.

“Oh, that was you?” he said, according to WJAX. “My bad.”

During a search of his truck, police said they found marijuana and a shotgun. McCray, who was released from jail after posting a $5,000 bond, is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 14, WJAX reported.

The 31-year-old has been playing with the Jaguars since 2017, following a two-season stint with the Denver Broncos, according to WJAX. He played college football from 2008 to 2012 for the University of Florida Gators, the news station reported.

In a statement obtained by WJAX, officials with the Jaguars said they were “aware of the situation” and “gathering more information” on Tuesday.

“We have no further comment at the time,” the statement said.