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The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deployed spike strips to stop a Crestview man who fled an
attem. pted traffic stop last night on John King Road.
29-year old Anthony Gabriel is now charged with fleeing and eluding law enforcement with lights and
siren active, driving with a suspended or revoked license, and possession of a weapon by a
convicted felon.
When an OCSO supervisor approached Gabriel’s Jeep Cherokee during a traffic stop around 9:30 p.m.,
Gabriel rapidly accelerated, slinging dirt as he sped away. Gabriel ran a red light at Highway 85
and continued west onto Antioch Road and beyond, running multiple stop signs at high speed. As his
Jeep crested the overpass of Interstate 10, Gabriel tossed something out the window. A deputy who
stopped to check relayed it was a 9 mm handgun. A second deputy meantime deployed spike strips
south of Pioneer Road, which successfully damaged three of the four tires on Gabriel’s vehicle.
Gabriel continued driving before eventually stopping on Highway 4 near Old Brown Road, where he
then got out of his jeep, got on the ground, and was taken into custody.
A female passenger was released without charges.
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