A 22-year-old Tampa man faces a host of criminal charges after police say he committed an armed carjacking, led officers on a chase and bailed out of the stolen vehicle in hopes of escaping arrest.
That escape, however, didn’t work out quite as planned.
According to the Tampa Police Department, the incident began to unfold as Ronald Walker, 56, got out of his 2004 Dodge Ram pickup truck Thursday evening. Walker was approached by a man with a gun. The man demanded cash, but found his target didn’t have any on him. Undaunted, the robber, police say, took the keys to the truck and drove off in the vehicle.
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Police officers caught up with the truck in the area of North 30th Street and East Linebaugh Avenue a short time later. The driver, however, fled, leading police on a three-minute chase. That chase ended when the driver ran the truck into a ditch and decided to take off on foot.
The escape attempt prompted police to set up a perimeter in the area. With the help of K9 units and air support, the man was found and brought into custody.
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Christopher Thomas was ultimately charged with armed carjack robbery, felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed firearm, resisting arrest without violence, aggravated fleeing and eluding and driving on a suspended license. He was being held without bond in the Hillsborough County Jail Friday.
Booking photo courtesy of the Hillsborough County Jail
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