Video: Deputies Catch Fleeing Suspect Who Beat Up Ex-Girlfriend, Locked Her In Trunk

Date Added: May 22, 2018 5:46 am

Andrew Gant
Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations

Note: Air One video is available on VCSO Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Body-camera footage is also available on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

***Thanks to the Daytona Beach Police Department and DeLand Police Department for their assistance on this call. It should be noted VCSO was alerted to the stolen vehicle’s location in Daytona Beach shortly after midnight thanks to License Plate Reader technology.***

DEPUTIES CATCH FLEEING SUSPECT WHO BEAT UP EX-GIRLFRIEND, LOCKED HER IN TRUNK

A DeLand man who beat his girlfriend, locked her in the trunk of a car and later fled from Volusia County sheriff’s deputies at speeds reaching about 120 mph was taken into custody early Tuesday on a long list of felony charges.

The incident began Monday night at the Family Food Market at 1104 W. Euclid Ave., DeLand, where deputies responded around 9 p.m. to a report of an abduction. The victim told deputies her ex-boyfriend, 42-year-old Darrian Miler (DOB 4/23/1976) had demanded she drive him somewhere. She did, but when they arrived in the 600 block of Margaret Street, he demanded she get out of the car.

She refused, so Miler got out, went to the driver’s door, punched the victim several times and popped the trunk. She said he took her cell phone, bank card and money, and told her she wouldn’t be calling anyone. Then he forced her into the trunk, punching her several more times, and closed the lid.

The victim used the trunk release to open the lid and scream for help, and residents in the area started to gather. Miler punched the victim some more and tried to close the trunk on her again, but when he was preoccupied with the witnesses, the victim was able to escape and run toward the Family Food Market. Responding deputies immediately noticed her face was swollen, her shirt was covered in blood and its neck had been ripped. But Miler had already fled the area in the victim’s vehicle.

While there were initial reports of possible shots fired in the incident, it was determined no shooting occurred.

The vehicle was spotted just after midnight in the area of Champions Gate Drive and LPGA Boulevard in Daytona Beach. Miler fled from Daytona Beach police and headed back to DeLand on International Speedway Boulevard, where he reached speeds of 120 mph as he continued to flee.

Deputies deployed stop sticks on the vehicle, and Miler eventually stopped and surrendered at 1385 Julie Ave., DeLand. He complained of back pain and was taken to Florida Hospital DeLand to be medically cleared before transport to the Volusia County Branch Jail, where he was held without bond on charges of:

Carjacking
Kidnapping
False imprisonment
Robbery
Tampering with a witness
Felony battery
Fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement
Driving while license suspended

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