JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A 28-year-old Jacksonville man was arrested Thursday night as he is accused of pulling a 60-year-old man from his car, beating him and running him over during an incident that took place on Jacksonville's Westside Thursday afternoon, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Demetrius Withers faces charges of attempted murder, carjacking, resisting an officer without violence and battery.
On Thursday at 5:12 p.m., JSO says detectives responded to 6804 103rd St. in reference to the carjacking incident while a JSO officer responded to HCA Florida Hospital in Orange Park to interview the victim, Guynard Simons.
Simons told police that he was traveling east on the 6800 block of 103rd Street, approached a stop light and was preparing to make a U-turn on the street to head west, according to the arrest report. As he sat in traffic in the left-hand turn lane, the arrest report states that Simons told police that Withers allegedly was standing on the median, approached his car and began to speak aggressively towards Simons.
The arrest report states that next, Simons began to ignore Withers and continued on his way, but unfortunately, "traffic was heavy and moving slowly." Simons told police he heard Withers say, "You're driving to close to me!" the arrest report states.
When Simons made his U-turn and traveled west on 103rd Street toward Tampico Road, Simons told JSO that he was stopped at another stop light and saw Withers sprinting toward him from his rearview mirror in the median, the arrest report states. Simons says Withers then ran onto the trunk of his car, began to jump on his trunk, canopy and then the hood of his car, the arrest report states.
Next, JSO's Sergeant Karen Dukes told First Coast News in a briefing that Withers "reached inside the victim's [Simons'] car, [while] the window was down, and he [Withers] snatched the elderly man [Simons] out and started beating him."
A witness who was behind Simons' car says she saw Withers choking, punching and pulling Simons out of his car, according to the arrest report. She also says she saw Withers get into the driver's seat of Simons' car, reversed the car and crashed it into her vehicle, causing "a jolt to her body and fear," the arrest report states.
Simons told police that several people began running to his aid, but that they all stopped prematurely because Withers sped away westbound toward Harlow Boulevard, made a U-turn into oncoming traffic on 103rd Street and drove directly toward him, the arrest report states.
Simons was "adamant" that he had never met Withers before and that he did not engage with Withers while he was stopped in traffic, the arrest report states.
Witnesses at the scene recall how Withers tried to walk away from the crash site casually and described to police how they chased Withers down, flagged down an off-duty officer and helped detain him, the arrest report states. An officer gave Withers lawful commands to stop and deployed his "conducted electrical weapon" at Withers twice after Withers refused to comply the first time, the arrest report states.
Withers was taken into custody afterward, where he made his first court appearance Saturday morning.