Two Lady Lake men armed with loaded guns in a stolen vehicle were arrested after trying to outrun law enforcement.
Jason Curtis Marks, 21, was at the wheel of a green 2023 Kia Soul which had been carjacked in Orange County at 6:23 a.m. Jan. 8, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. A license plate reader indicated the vehicle was northbound on U.S. Hwy. 27.
Deputies began pursuing the stolen car, which was traveling at a high rate of speed, near Johns Lake Road in Clermont. The stolen vehicle struck two squad cars during the chase.
Marks, who was wearing a ski mask and a black glove, was apprehended along with 22-year-old Jonathan Joseph Belcher, who lives at 8258 County Road 109B in Lady Lake. He was wearing blue latex gloves.
A black Glock firearm fell to the ground while Marks was being taken into custody. It was determined the gun had been reported stolen in 2015 in Lake County. The gun was loaded with one round in the chamber.
A fully loaded 9mm Ruger handgun was found in the passenger area where Belcher had been seated.
Both Marks and Belcher matched the descriptions provided in a bulletin which had been sent out by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office immediately after the carjacking.
Marks and Belcher, along with a third man traveling in the stolen car, were transported to South Lake Hospital before they were taken to the Lake County Jail where they were booked without bond.