Daytona Man Arrested After Crashing Into Barber Shop While Fleeing Police

Posted

Daytona Beach, FL - Loose pants leads to the arrest of a Daytona Beach man after police say he crashed into a vehicle and a barber shop while fleeing from a traffic stop.

Tobias J. Smith of Whitney Street is currently held without bond at Volusia County Jail on two felony and four misdemeanor charges. He was out on bond for unrelated charges prior to the crash, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.

It all started around 2:30 p.m. yesterday when two DBPD officers attempted to pull Smith over on West International Speedway Boulevard near the Villages At Halifax apartment complex on Adams Street.

According to the arrest report, Smith - who was driving a black 2014 Toyota - tried to cut across a parking lot to avoid a red light. The officers turned on their emergency lights and siren soon after he made a right turn onto North Nova Road.

From there, the report shows Smith turned east onto Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard and sped away, going at least 60 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone. That's when the officers turned off the lights and sirens and radioed dispatch for help.

As that was happening, DBPD says Smith blew through a red light on Keech Street and hit another vehicle traveling south on Keech, causing Smith's vehicle to spin out after it hit a utility pole. That's when it crashed into the front entrance of the Nu Look barber shop on the corner of Keech and MMB, smashing the glass on the side of the door.

Officers tell us a woman got out of Smith's vehicle on the passenger side and he did as well. That's when he started running eastbound on MMB but was quickly caught by officers after his pants fell to his ankles, causing him to fall to the ground.

Paramedics took the driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash to Halifax Medical Center after he complained of chest pains. No other injuries were reported, including to the people inside the barber shop at the time.

The report noted that the tag on the Toyota vehicle Smith was driving was registered to another vehicle and that Smith had no driver's license after it was revoked in December 2017 for fleeing and eluding.

Damage estimates totaled to $13,000, including $10,000 for the other vehicle involved and $3,000 to the business.

Copyright 2018 Southern Stone Communications.