On January 22, 2022, Deputy Richard Demarco was in the area of S Highway 441 and SE 147th Street, in Summerfield, when he observed a Honda sedan without a license plate attached. The car was pulling into the Circle K parking lot as Deputy Demarco was leaving, so he pulled in behind the Honda. The driver, Joshua Peters, immediately drove in between the gas pumps and ran a stop sign while going back onto S Highway 441.

Deputy Demarco attempted a traffic stop, but Peters refused to stop and a pursuit was initiated. Peters continued to flee for several miles and drove through a red light at the intersection of S Highway 441 and SE Highway 42. While fleeing, Peters signaled that he was going to pull over; however, he continued to drive away. Deputy Demarco performed a Precision Immobilization Technique (P.I.T.) causing the vehicle to spin into the median. Peters regained control and Deputy Hadyn Helinski also performed a P.I.T. maneuver on the vehicle. As he was attempting to drive away through the median, Peters’ vehicle became stuck and he fled on foot.

Deputy Heath Hannar began to chase Peters on foot and ultimately utilized his taser to take Peters into custody. After he was placed into handcuffs, Peters advised he was in possession of a “rig”, which is a collection of items used to inject various types of drugs. Peters was arrested for Fleeing and Eluding, Driving with a Suspended License, and Resisting without Violence. He was transported to the Marion County Jail, where he is held on a $27,000 bond.