Five people are in jail on Friday night, including two juveniles, after they led police on a high-speed chase from Fort Lauderdale all the way to Pompano Beach. Investigators said they had kidnapped and beaten a man for his cellphone.
CBS News Miami spoke with one of the suspect’s aunts, who stood up in court and vouched for his release.
The three adult suspects are being held at the jail in Fort Lauderdale, including 18-year-old Lamar Perry. His aunt told CBS News Miami that her nephew is not a bad kid but just following the wrong crowd.
A shocking FaceTime call from her nephew
Vicki Perry is in disbelief.
“I’m upset, but I’m worried,” said Vicki Perry, Lamar Perry’s aunt. “And I thank God, but it could have been worse.”
Her 18-year-old nephew was allegedly one of five people inside a white SUV that led police on a chase from Fort Lauderdale into Pompano Beach.
She describes the terrifying moment he called her in the middle of it all.
“The Facetime in and he was like, ‘Auntie, we’re literally on a high-speed chase,” Vicki Perry said.
Davie Police say Lamar Perry, along with 30-year-old Tracy Ross, 18-year-old Timothy Brown, and two teens, kidnapped the 21-year-old victim at a McDonald’s in Davie off State Road 84 on Thursday.
Investigators said they forced the victim into a car, then eventually threw him out in the 700 block of Northwest 9th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale and beat him.
According to the arrest report, the victim said he “did not want to get in the car, but they would not give his phone back”.
The arrest affidavit also said the GPS from the victim’s cellphone was used to track the suspects in Fort Lauderdale. And that’s when they took off, trying to evade police.
“He turned the camera around and I instantly see a bunch of police behind him,” Vicki Perry said. “And I said, ‘Stop! Stop!'”
The chase ended in Pompano Beach, where they crashed their SUV into a light pole outside of a Snapper’s Fish and Chicken restaurant.
Not a bad kid, just following the wrong crowd
Lamar Perry’s aunt told CBS News Miami she will be at every court date to support him.
“Please, he’s not a bad kid — he’s not,” Vicki Perry said. “He’s very kind-hearted. Anything you ask, he’s going to do. He’s peer pressured and that’s what it is.”
All three of the adults are being held without bond. As for the teens, they’re in custody at the juvenile assessment center in Fort Lauderdale.
