Carjackings, Chase By Deputies Lead To Man Receiving 31 Charges

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — A 27-year-old transient man has been charged with 31 counts of carjacking, robbery, driving under the influence and property damage, among other crimes, after leading deputies and police on a wild chase through Pinellas County Sunday afternoon.

At 4:13 p.m., deputies responded to the Dunedin Cove Motel at 1220 Main St. in Dunedin after a report of two men physically fighting.

When they arrived, deputies learned that Kenneth Wayne Lunford Jr. had been fighting with a man at the motel over a drug deal. Deputies said Lunford took the man's car keys and fled the scene in the stolen vehicle.

A "Be on the Lookout" (BOLO) was issued to surrounding law enforcement agencies who reported that Lunford was driving recklessly through Clearwater, Largo, Belleair Bluffs, Belleair Beach and Indian Rocks Beach, fleeing from multiple Clearwater police officers who attempted to stop him.

While fleeing on Gulf Boulevard, Lunford attempted to carjack another vehicle at a stoplight in Indian Rocks Beach, but was unsuccessful. As Lunford approached Gulf Boulevard and 4th Avenue in Indian Rocks Beach, Lunford struck two vehicles and abandoned the stolen vehicle he was driving.

Lunford then carjacked another vehicle and continued to drive recklessly south on Gulf Boulevard before crashing into another vehicle in the parking lot of 11925 Gulf Blvd. in Indian Shores. Lunford drove east behind the building before crashing the vehicle again into a fence and partially off a seawall.

Deputies said Lunford fled the scene on foot through the mangroves and waded into the Intercoastal Waterway.

Around 4:55 p.m., Pinellas County marine unit deputies took Lunford into custody from the water.

He was charged by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and Clearwater Police Department with two counts of carjacking (without a weapon), one count of attempted carjacking, 11 counts of driving under the influence with property damage, 12 counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, one count robbery by sudden snatching, one count of resisting an officer with violence and three counts of fleeing and eluding.

There were no significant injuries reported.