Suwannee County Fl

'Baby on Board' During High-Speed Chase, Fiery Crash in Suwannee County

SUWANNEE COUNTY, Fla. -- A traffic stop for speeding led to a high-speed chase down a country road that ended with a fiery crash, all with a baby in the vehicle.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the incident began Sunday afternoon along Interstate 75 near Lake City when an air patrol unit notified a patrolman about an SUV going 94 miles per hour northbound.

The patrolman stopped the SUV, whose driver, 23-year-old Michael Alonzo Ford, said his girlfriend, who was in the front passenger seat, was not feeling well and he was trying to get to a rest area.

When the patrolman asked Ford to step out of the vehicle and opened the door, Ford reportedly slammed the door closed and sped off.

As the patrolman pursued, he reported speeds along I-75 up to 115 mph, and noted that Ford was changing lanes "in a reckless manner," driving onto the shoulder to go around vehicles as well.

Ford then exited onto County Road 136 and headed west, going as fast as 100 mph on the rural two-lane road.  The patrolman said he slowed down, knowing the air unit was still following the speeding SUV.

As County Road 136 intersects County Road 136A, around a bend, the patrolman saw the SUV had crashed into a tree.

As he pulled alongside, the patrolman saw the passenger and a small child getting out of the vehicle, and the driver running along the tree line, ignoring the patrolman's calls to stop.

The vehicle then burst into flames, but all passengers were away from it as it burned.

The patrolman stayed with the passengers, a 19-year-old female and a 1-year-old child, both of whom were hospitalized with minor injuries.  The patrolman indicated Ford's driving "showed a flagrant disregard for the child's safety and welfare."

A dog team from the Department of Corrections pursued Ford, who was captured shortly thereafter.  He was also hospitalized briefly for minor injuries before being booked into the Suwannee County jail.

Ford, from Cordele, Ga., is charged with driving with a suspended license, reckless driving, fleeing and attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, child endangerment and leaving the scene of a crash involving damage to property.

He also had a warrant from Hillsborough County as a felon for violation of probation possession of cocaine.

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State of Florida Vs. Ruby McCollum, Defendant

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