Suspect arrested by Marion deputies when fleeing from a traffic stop for driving without headlights

On August 1, 2023, at around 1:30 a.m., Corporal Beccue and Deputy Kelsey Gonzalez observed a black Chevy Avalanche driving without headlights in the 5200 block of S Pine Avenue. Corporal Beccue initiated a traffic stop, but the driver, 22-year-old Ja’Shaun O’Neil, refused to stop.

He then fled at a high rate of speed and exited the roadway multiple times before driving through the parking lot of South Pine Apartments. O’Neil exited the parking lot into an empty lot, where he lost control of the vehicle on the wet grass. As O’Neil attempted to regain control, Corporal Beccue conducted a push maneuver to prevent him from continuing to flee.

The vehicle came to a stop, at which time O’Neil exited from the driver’s side and fled on foot. After a short foot pursuit, Corporal Beccue and Deputy Gonzalez took him into custody. O’Neil advised he fled because he did not have a valid license, and he was recently released from prison. During a search of the vehicle, deputies discovered that O’Neil was in possession of drug paraphernalia and shotgun ammunition.

O’Neil was arrested for Fleeing to Elude a Law Enforcement Officer, Possession of Ammunition by a Convicted Felon, Driving with a Suspended License, Resisting Arrest without Violence, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.