JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville woman who was charged with carjacking and aggravated battery in August 2022 has been sentenced to five years of probation plus other conditions, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
On Aug. 19, officers responded to the Interstate 95 northbound off-ramp and Acosta Expressway in reference to a vehicle driving southbound in the northbound lane. Witnesses say 25-year-old Cheryle Cooke was driving a white Range Rover when she struck another vehicle, causing several other drivers to swerve out of the way.
Following the crash, Cooke flagged down a FedEx truck that a woman, later identified as Makayla Collier, was driving. Cooke then pushed Collier out of the truck while it was still moving and sped off with the truck traveling northbound on I-95, the incident report states.
Collier was seen by witnesses rolling on the street several times after she was pushed out. She suffered multiple injuries throughout her body, including one on her forehead that was severely swollen and bleeding, police say.
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department responded and took Collier to UF Health.
When officers arrived to the area, they saw a FedEx truck that was crashed into a light pole on the sidewalk. A crowd of people pointed to an area of the St. Johns River and said that Cooke was swimming across.
One woman who was staying at a nearby hotel said she heard the crash and looked out her balcony to hear Cooke saying, "help me, I have been abducted."
Several bystanders pointed out that Cooke was in the water and that they were helping her try to climb the embankment near the Berkman Marina.
JFRD and police units arrived to arrest Cooke as she was exiting the water.
Police say that Cooke made suicidal threats while being taken into custody and was placed under special care the day before the incident.
Cooke plead guilty to two counts of carjacking in April. In addition to the probation, Cooke was ordered to pay restitution and have her driver's license suspended for three years.
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