A fleeing suspect rear-ended a truck and tried to steal it after attacking the driver at a busy intersection in Wildwood.
Tony McAnally, 29, of Inverness is facing multiple charges, including attempted murder, as a result of his arrest Thursday by Sumter County sheriff’s deputies.
Law enforcement had responded to a report of a disturbance at 11:24 a.m. within the city limits of Wildwood. McAnally fled from the scene of that disturbance, when law enforcement spotted a red Dodge pickup towing a landscaping trailer traveling south on Legion Street at a high rate of speed. The vehicle failed to stop at the intersection of Legion Street and State Road 44 at which time it collided with a tractor-trailer truck, next to a marked patrol vehicle, and fled westbound.
As the Dodge approached the intersection of State Road 44 and U.S. 301, the Dodge rear-ended a smaller pickup and McAnally got out of the Dodge.
McAnally pulled on the passenger side door handle of a car stopped for the red light. He was unsuccessful in getting that door open as that vehicle sped off. McAnally approached the truck he had rear-ended, forcefully opened the door, and began pulling on the driver. As a marked Sumter County patrol vehicle was coming to a stop, a deputy observed McAnally get the male driver out of the smaller truck and began punching him in the face repeatedly. The driver was able to get free as McAnally climbed into the truck he had rear-ended, attempted to put it in gear and flee again.
McAnally was given commands to exit the vehicle and lay on the ground. A citizen bystander helped intervene until McAnally complied and the Wildwood Police Department arrived. McAnally was handcuffed and taken into custody.
Further investigation revealed McAnally fled the scene of the original disturbance, and entered the city limits of Wildwood where he committed a home invasion, grand theft auto, and several other offenses. McAnally is being charged with the following offenses committed in the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction – attempted murder, two counts of aggravated assault, armed burglary, car jacking, criminal mischief, and simple battery. McAnally will also be charged with several offenses committed within Wildwood Police Department’s jurisdiction.