Carjacking suspect arrested after jumping in river and hiding out in mangroves

Date Added: October 07, 2025 1:47 pm

Deputies arrested a Fort Lauderdale man Monday night after he carjacked a man at gunpoint before ditching the car and jumping into the Halifax River -- where deputies found him hiding in the mangroves following an extensive search. 

Just before 9 p.m., the victim reported the suspect asked him for a ride on South Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach Shores before pulling a gun, ordering him out of the car, and driving off in the victim’s vehicle. 

The suspect, later identified as 34-year-old Grant Hagood-James (DOB: 10/19/1990), was then spotted swimming up to the deck of a restaurant in Port Orange. Hagood-James ran through the restaurant, threw away his shirt, before jumping back into the Halifax River and hiding out in mangroves. 

VSO deputies conducted a lengthy search that included Air One, K9, drones, boats and assistance from Port Orange Police Department, Edgewater Police Department and Daytona Beach Shores Public Safety.

Hagood-James was located and taken into custody. 

The victim was not injured, and his vehicle was found in a residential yard on Shamrock Drive in Port Orange. A gun was found near the location of where the victim’s car was recovered. 
Hagood-James was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail and is charged with armed carjacking. He is being held without bond.