The chain of events started at about 5 p.m. when Ruddell walked into a Daytona Beach convenience store, threatened the store clerk with a bottle of liquid he claimed was toxic and demanded money, according to deputies.
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A former Flagler County deputy who led authorities on a high-speed, multi-county chase after an alleged crime spree appeared in court in St. Johns County on Friday morning.
He fled a 2015 black Chevrolet Silverado.
Deputies fired several shots at Ruddell as he was fleeing, but no one was injured, officials said. Flagler County police took over and chased the vehicle into St. Johns County. A chase that began in Daytona Beach ended in St. Johns County.
Deputies there tried once again to deploy stop sticks near the State Road 207 exit, which Ruddell again avoided. St. Johns County deputies then took the lead as the suspect crossed into their jurisdiction.
Ruddell, 45 of Palm Coast, was transported to Flagler Hospital for evaluation after a chase that saw pursuing deputies shoot at him before he crashed near the County Road 214 overpass, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said.
Flagler County deputies said the suspect was a former deputy with the department and also a former Daytona Beach police officer.
He is expected to face additional charges.
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Ruddell was arrested on November 18 in Daytona Beach and charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting an officer without violence. “As soon as the St. Johns County criminal investigation is completed, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office will conduct an internal investigation into all aspects of our involvement in this incident”. His lawsuit, joined by others in the Flagler department, was settled earlier this year and awarded more than $183,000 to the defendants, including Ruddell.
