DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- An
Altamonte Springs man faces a half-dozen charges after snatching one
victim's vehicle keys from an open motel room, biting another man on the
hand and fleeing in a stolen van. The whole chain of events started
Friday morning when the vehicle Andrew Buxton was originally driving ran
out of gas and he decided to take any other available vehicle he could
find. However, an off-duty Volusia County Sheriff's deputy who happened
to be driving by noticed the commotion in the motel parking lot near
Daytona Beach and was eventually able to hold Buxton until on-duty law
enforcement officers arrived.
Buxton
was driving a van he had taken from a roommate, who had not given him
permission to do so, and ran out of gas at about 11 a.m. near the Super 8
Motel at 2992 W International Speedway Blvd. The 30-year-old had walked
to a gas station and bought a couple dollars worth of fuel when he
noticed a Florida Highway Patrol trooper looking at the van. This
spooked Buxton and rather than return to the van, he walked to the
motel. There he found an open motel room door and a set of keys sitting
on a table inside. He grabbed the keys and ran to the victim's van, but
the owner, who had been in the room, raced outside and confronted
Buxton. The thief managed to start the van while the owner, 60-year-old
John Smith from Virginia, jumped into the passenger side and fought
Buxton for control. Smith shut off the van, forcing Buxton to try
something else.
Buxton
spotted another man, 79-year-old William Humm from Bellevue, walking by
and he then tried to wrestle car keys away from the new victim while
yelling, "I'm going to take your car." When Humm refused to let go
Buxton resorted to biting his hand. Smith then ran over and hit Buxton a
few times. But with Smith now away from his van, Buxton took the
opportunity to get back in and drive away.
Meanwhile,
off-duty deputy Matthew Seltzer was driving by and saw the fight. He
stopped to see what was going on and ordered Buxton to stop, but Buxton
drove off. Seltzer followed Buxton while he called 911. Then Buxton
pulled over along the side of an Interstate on ramp in order to get out
and close the van's side door that had been hanging open. At that time
Seltzer pulled up, got out of his vehicle and told Buxton that he was a
deputy. He ordered Buxton to the ground at gunpoint where he stayed
until other law enforcement arrived.
After
his arrest, Buxton said that he had been using cocaine the previous
three days and had barely slept the whole time. As a result, he was
unable to think clearly. He was charged with unarmed carjacking,
burglary, battery, robbery, battery on a person 65 or older, and driving
with a suspended/revoked license. He was booked into the Volusia County
Branch Jail in Daytona Beach.
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