A Gainesville man led police on a high speed chase — endangering a woman who flew out of his car — after police received a domestic violence call Wednesday.
Jalen Hutchinson, 29, was arrested and charged with nine different crimes, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, including battery, fleeing and eluding, battery against a law enforcement K9 unit and kidnapping. Hutchinson is at the Alachua County Jail with no bail set.
Hutchinson has an open Alachua County court case for domestic battery from 2020.
At about 8:01 p.m. police received multiple calls from people who told them about a domestic violence incident at the Buckingham South neighborhood, near The Oaks Mall. The caller said “he is dragging her through the street,” according to the call notes.
An officer arrived on scene shortly after and was directed by witnesses to a 2005 blue Hyundai Elantra that began fleeing after the officer approached the car, according to the police report.
The officer then proceeded to pursue Hutchinson northbound on Northwest 84th Street until they made a turn onto Southwest 2nd Place. After turning westbound onto Northwest 2nd Place, a woman flew out of the blue Hyundai from the passenger side and rolled down the roadway for several feet, according to the arrest affidavit.
The high-speed chase continued until Hutchinson crashed the vehicle at Northwest 4th Place and Northwest 88th Terrace. Multiple people were put in “great danger” by Hutchinson’s driving, according to the police report.
After the vehicle crashed, Hutchinson fled police on foot. He was told to stop running multiple times before a K-9 named Taz was deployed to stop Hutchinson, according to the report.
After pursuing Hutchinson, K-9 Taz took the man down to the ground by biting his left wrist. Hutchinson used his right hand to cover Taz’s snout in order to dislodge the dog from his wrist, according to the arrest report.
After the incident, deputies spoke to several witnesses. One said he observed Hutchinson and a woman arguing. The 33-year-old woman, who was Hutchinson’s girlfriend, then went to someone's apartment nearby in order to ask for help, according to the arrest affidavit.
That person tried assisting the woman by talking to her but the woman said she didn’t need help and walked towards Hutchinson. A second witness said they saw the women being dragged across the street and into the Hyundai against her will, according to the police report.
The woman suffered several injuries including several scrapes and a split bottom lip.
Contact Jordan Ramos at jramos@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @JordanR68971799.
Jordan Ramos is a fourth-year journalism major who spends his time singing in two different choirs and his a cappella group.
