JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Multiple Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers jumped out of their cruisers, surrounded, and arrested a woman on I-95 at the Trout River Bridge following a dangerous high-speed chase Wednesday afternoon.
JSO said the chase started around 2:30 p.m. in St. Johns County and continued up I-95 through much of Jacksonville and spanned about 30 minutes.
St. Johns County deputies first tried to stop a woman in her 30s after she was seen speeding and driving recklessly, JSO said.
The woman tried to run deputies off the road, JSO said, and was seen holding a hammer out of her window during the chase.
The Florida Highway Patrol then became involved and requested JSO’s assistance on I-95 at the Duval County line.
The chase continued north on I-95 through Jacksonville’s Southside and downtown areas and the woman tried to ram law enforcement vehicles, JSO said. Her vehicle collided with a civilian’s vehicle on the Fuller Warren Bridge near downtown, but the driver wasn’t hurt, JSO said.
(Watch video of the crash in the video below)
News4JAX watched the end of the chase on a traffic camera as it happened on I-95 North around 3 p.m.
Traffic camera video showed at least five law enforcement vehicles in pursuit of the SUV before the driver appeared to lose control and slam into the wall of the bridge.
The woman was taken into custody and faces multiple felony charges in both counties. The circumstances are still under investigation, JSO said.
As of 3:10 p.m., all lanes were closed, but about five minutes later, at least one lane of traffic was getting by.
Traffic was backed up in both directions amid rainy conditions as of 4:30 p.m., but all lanes were back open before 5 p.m.
