Two Gainesville men were arrested Wednesday for allegedly participating in a drive-by shooting and high-speed chase on Valentine’s Day.
Gainesville Police Department received reports of multiple gunshots fired from a stolen Chevrolet Avalanche at the Sweetwater Square apartment complex in Gainesville. Officers found the car and tried to perform a traffic stop, but the vehicle led officers on a high-speed chase around the city, according to the arrest report.
Officers stopped following the car, because its high speed and evasive maneuvers made the chase too dangerous. They eventually found the car at the Lake Terrace Apartments on NE 26th St., where multiple people were seen running away, according to the police report.
Officers arrested James Leon Johnson, 18, for grand theft auto, felony fleeing from an officer and misdemeanor resisting an officer without violence.
Johnson was also arrested for grand theft of a firearm, after officers discovered a handgun that was reported stolen out of Clay County in 2022. Johnson also had the keys to the Chevrolet Avalanche, the arrest report said.
Johnson is being held at the Alachua County Jail on a $107,000 bond.
Robert Lavelle Green, 18, was arrested for misdemeanor resisting an officer without violence after he was seen fleeing from the same stolen vehicle. He tried to hide in the covered porch area of a building, but was discovered by officers, according to the arrest report.
Green was shirtless, out of breath, breathing hard and sweating profusely. Green tried to ignore officer commands and walk away after being caught, until an officer crossed his path.
Green is being held at the Alachua County Jail on a $2,000 bond.
A third person was seen fleeing from the stolen car, but officers were unable to locate them.
Contact Daniel Bednar at dbednar@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Danielbednar5.
Daniel Bednar is a first-year political science major and the Criminal Justice reporter for The Alligator. When he's not writing, you can find him scuba diving in the Keys or flying airplanes.
