JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville residents stepped in on Thursday to help catch a suspect accused in a violent carjacking on the Westside that left a man injured.
The man’s wife told News4JAX that he was 60 years old.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the 60-year-old man was sitting in his car stopped in traffic around 4:30 p.m. on 103rd Street when a stranger ran up to his car and jumped on top of it.
JSO said the suspect then reached inside the man’s car pulled him out and started beating him.
The suspect then jumped behind the wheel of the car, rammed several nearby vehicles and did a U-turn into oncoming traffic to circle back and ran over the older man, JSO said.
Several people who saw what was happening tried to jump in and stop the suspect before the suspect crashed the car into a ditch near Tampico Road, JSO said.
The suspect started to run away but the bystanders jumped in and held him down while somebody called for an off-duty officer to help, JSO said.
“It’s a scene that I never seen before,” witness Savannah Carver said. “It’s more of a horror scene. Something you would see in a movie setup staged. But it wasn’t. It was bad it was horrible.”
Carver said it was hard seeing the man with blood on him, but she’s glad people jumped in to help.
The victim was taken to a local hospital and is being treated for injuries to his face and hands but is expected to recover.
According to his family, the man suffered a broken nose, cuts to the hands, several abrasions and severe leg issues.
JSO said it’s not clear why the suspect did what he did.
JSO said the suspect is being detained and a detective interview is pending. JSO said the suspect will likely face attempted murder and carjacking charges.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the JSO non-emergency number (904) 630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.