‘He came back’: North Carolina family chased off road near I-95 in Martin County tell what happened
MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. —
Body camera footage shows a North Carolina family walking out of the bushes and explaining what happened after being chased off the road near Kanner Highway, just west of I-95 in Martin County over the weekend.
The couple, visiting Florida with their young son, appeared visibly shaken as they recounted the incident to a sheriff’s deputy, explaining what happened to them and the man’s sister, who was driving ahead of them.
“He was trying to run her off the road,” the man said, referring to his sister. “On 95? Yeah. Okay. For just no reason. Were you guys traveling together? Yeah. Okay,” the deputy responded.
The family said the suspect, seen in the body camera footage, chased the man’s sister for miles, prompting his wife to call 911.
“The lady that he’s chasing, she has a little baby in her car,” the wife said. “He’s literally chasing her with his lasers on. She’s trying to get away from him. She said he’s pressing brakes, trying to get away, and he said he’s chasing her.”
The man explained that he and his wife tried to intervene, but the unknown driver then turned his focus on them.
“You all pulled over?” the deputy asked. “Yeah, we all pulled over essentially because he stopped us again. So, I figured if we let him go far enough ahead, maybe we’ll keep going. Okay. He didn’t. He got out, and he came back,” the man said.
The man’s sister managed to escape, but the driver continued to follow him and his wife, eventually forcing them off the road.
“And he’s chasing you in the car?” the deputy asked. “Yes. Okay, so then how’d? What happened here? He came up behind us. He evasive maneuver just off the road. He pit you,” the man said.
The driver, identified as Michael Spires, was taken into custody at a nearby gas station.
“They did not know what was coming next, so they are extremely grateful that they didn’t get injured and that it wasn’t worse,” Sheriff John Budensiek said. “Thank goodness our suspect didn’t have a gun. It could have ended so much worse.”
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