A 16-year-old male who stole his father’s car and threatened to kill Orlando Police officers over the phone was arrested after he led police on a high speed chase en route from Virginia.
Charlie George Hall was arrested on Wednesday, June 22, by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper who used a PIT maneuver to disable Hall’s vehicle along Interstate 95 in St. Johns County.
According to an FHP report, Hall called the Orlando Police Department on Saturday, June 18, and threatened to kill an officer, as well as the detective who received the call. After the call, Hall allegedly stole his father’s 2018 Ford Escape.
A be on the lookout (BOLO) alert with an arrest warrant was issued for Hall at the time.
On Wednesday, June 22, around 2:30 p.m., while patrolling the area of I-95 near mile marker 330, an FHP trooper observed a vehicle matching the description from the BOLO alert. The trooper caught up to the vehicle and confirmed a license plate match to the stolen vehicle. The trooper began following the vehicle southbound while he waited for backup.
According to the report, Hall proceeded to make a lane change in an attempt to exit the highway, which prompted the trooper to activate his lights and siren in an attempt to stop the vehicle.
After the emergency lights were activated, Hall allegedly sped up, drove recklessly, and began making obscene gestures to the officer through the rear window. Hall’s vehicle reached speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour and made multiple lane changes, with “no regard to the safety of the motoring public,” according to the report.
As traffic began to slow, the trooper positioned his vehicle alongside Hall’s in the left emergency lane in an attempt to conduct a pursuit intervention technique (PIT) maneuver and force the vehicle into the grassy median on the left side of the highway.
The trooper conducted the PIT maneuver and Hall’s vehicle traveled from the left travel lane into the median, crashing into the center median guardrail. The trooper positioned his vehicle to block the left travel lane before exiting the car and ordering Hall out of the car at gun point.
Hall was arrested without incident. While he was sitting in the back of the patrol vehicle, Hall spontaneously uttered “Yeah, I stole that vehicle last night,” according to the report.
Hall faces multiple charges including grand theft of a motor vehicle and reckless driving with damage to person or property.