A 23-year-old Winter Haven resident, Camerin Keelan, was arrested by Polk County Sheriff’s deputies on Monday, September 23, 2024, following a series of dangerous events that started with a domestic violence call and ended in a crash.
Around 10:16 p.m., deputies responded to a domestic violence incident in the Carefree Cove neighborhood. Keelan fled the scene, but the PCSO Air Unit spotted a suspicious vehicle circling the area and alerted patrol officers.
Deputy Howard positioned her patrol car at the only exit with emergency lights on, attempting to block the suspect’s escape. Keelan, driving a black 2014 Toyota Camry, deliberately rammed into her patrol car before fleeing south on Lake Alfred Road, with Deputy Howard in pursuit.
The chase ended when Keelan crashed into a light pole and a boulder near a RaceTrac gas station at the intersection of Havendale and US 17. He then abandoned the vehicle and attempted to escape on foot but was quickly apprehended by deputies.
Keelan was booked into the Polk County Jail on multiple charges, including aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, fleeing to elude, resisting arrest with violence, resisting without violence, leaving the scene of a crash, and violation of probation. He was already out on pre-trial release for lewd and lascivious behavior involving a minor.