Shots fired during recovery of missing girl ‘abducted’ from her Ocala home, deputies say
OCALA, Fla. —
A Florida AMBER Alert has been canceled after a 13-year-old girl last seen in Ocala was found.
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The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said the girl was “abducted” from her home between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Monday and was with a 45-year-old suspect in a vehicle heading south.
The girl was “recovered safely” around 6 p.m., MCSO said.
But just before that, around 5:20 p.m., deputies located the suspect vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, deputies said.
The suspect, identified as Jason Castillo, refused to stop and fled from deputies, according to MCSO.
The vehicle was eventually stopped by deputies and became disabled on U.S. Highway 441 near the intersection with County Road 25A.
As deputies attempted to apprehend Castillo, shots were fired, MCSO said.
Castillo was transported to the hospital for treatment. His condition is unknown at this time.
The girl has been found safe.
All the southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 441 in the area of the incident remain closed.
MCSO is asking the public to avoid the area and seek alternate routes.
This remains an active investigation.
>> This is a developing story and will be updated.