YULEE, Fla. – A car fleeing from Georgia police before dawn Monday crashed into a trailer carrying alpacas at the Florida Agricultural Inspection Station, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
A Kingsland police officer reported trying to pull over a black Mercedes with Florida plates that was speeding south on Interstate 95 in Georgia. The driver, later identified as Edison Garcia Apron, 28, of Miami, did not stop for police and sped across the border into Florida, according to troopers.
Apron's car entered at the inspection station about 4:15 a.m. and crashed into a parked livestock trailer carrying 21 alpacas. Apron and a passenger of the car got out and ran into the woods, troopers said. The driver was apprehended just before 8 a.m. Troopers said Apron would be booked into the Nassau County jail and charged with leaving the scene of an accident and resisting arrest.
Troopers, with the help of Nassau County deputies, were still searching for the passenger, possibly a Hispanic male in the mid-20s to early-30s, with wet and dirty clothing.
When troopers searched the car the two ran from, they said they found multiple garbage bags full of stolen and mail -- some of it opened and some still sealed. Stolen checks were also found throughout the car.
News4Jax was told that given that stolen mail was involved and a state line was crossed, the FBI and other federal agencies would likely join the investigation. The FHP report said the men may face charges from Kingsland, as well.
Troopers say one alpaca in the trailer was seriously injured and some of the other animals may also be hurt.
With the help of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officers, the uninjured animals were moved to another trailer to continue their trip to Bushnell. A man who said he owned the alpacas said they were pets.
