Deported Williston man charged with carjacking, kidnapping motorist
A Williston man who deputies say forced his way into a pickup truck after he was involved in a crash has been arrested.
Marion County Sheriff's Office deputies say Juan Angel Corea-Diaz turned himself into the Marion County Jail on Monday night on charges of robbery, carjacking with a firearm or weapon and kidnapping.
Corea-Diaz faced a judge on Tuesday morning at his first appearance hearing and was denied bond. His next court appearance is set for early October, according to local records.
Authorities said Corea-Diaz, 34, is a native of Honduras and was deported back there in 2014.
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Off-duty officer rescues suspect from crash
On Aug. 21, deputies said there was a traffic crash in the 16000 block of West County Road 316 in Williston, between an older model Honda sport utility vehicle and a Chiefland police officer's vehicle.
Authorities said the officer, Lucas Hamilton, was off-duty and on his way home when the crash occurred.
The SUV caught fire and Hamilton pulled Corea-Diaz from the burning vehicle, deputies said. Corea-Diaz ran and left in another vehicle that was nearby, officials said.
The driver of the vehicle that left with Corea-Diaz notified law enforcement officials that a man entered his vehicle and forced him to drive away.
Carjacking victim tells story
A driver was interviewed by Sheriff's Office Detective Annemarie Larocque. The driver told the detective that he was working on a horse farm when he heard the crash. He said he drove his truck to the crash site where he saw a man, who was later identified as Corea-Diaz.
He said Corea-Diaz managed to get into his vehicle and sat behind him. The man said he felt a pointy object between his shoulder and lower neck area.
Fearing for his life, the driver said he drove to his job. There, he added, Corea-Diaz got out of his vehicle and took off. The man said he called 911.
The victim was able to give Larocque a description of the intruder.
Deputies were able to track down Corea-Diaz's name from his SUV registration. Law enforcement checked with border patrol agents in Orlando, who sent her several pictures of Corea-Diaz.
The victim was able to identify Corea-Diaz's photograph from a line-up as the person who got into his vehicle.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Marion County deputies charge Honduras man in carjacking, kidnapping
