Man accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend in Coral Springs sparks a chaotic four city chase before being arrested by police in Pompano Beach
Coral Springs, Florida – A tense pursuit that stretched across multiple cities in Broward County ended with the arrest of a Miami man accused of stalking his former girlfriend, police reports show.
What began as a call for help from a woman who said she was being harassed turned into hours of pursuit as police units from Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, and the Broward Sheriff’s Office chased the suspect through neighborhoods and busy streets on August 11. Authorities said the man, identified as 34-year-old Derrick Antawn Jones, caused several car accidents before being taken into custody in Pompano Beach.
The woman at the center of the case told officers she had moved from Georgia to South Florida just weeks earlier in an effort to escape Jones. According to her account, she relocated on July 7 but soon discovered that he had tracked her down. Despite a restraining order issued in 2022, Jones allegedly continued to contact and follow her, leaving her feeling unsafe even in her new home.
On the morning of the chase, she phoned Coral Springs police around 10:30 a.m. while walking back from a Publix supermarket. She explained that Jones was trailing her, once again violating the court order meant to keep him away. Officers met with her in a shopping plaza near her apartment. While giving her statement, she noticed a white Mazda SUV that Jones was believed to be driving.
When one of the officers approached the SUV, Jones refused to comply. Instead, he accelerated away from the scene, making a sudden U-turn and forcing another car to swerve onto the sidewalk to avoid a crash. That maneuver set off the first of several pursuits throughout the day.
As investigators continued speaking with the woman, she spotted the white Mazda again, this time driving along North Bay Drive in Margate. Police attempted to intercept Jones once more, but he sped off. By then, suspicion had grown that he had planted a device on her vehicle to monitor her movements. Although officers initially found nothing, she later discovered an Apple AirTag hidden inside her engine compartment, taped in place, confirming her fears.
The chase intensified as the hours wore on. Around 1 p.m., police again sighted Jones and attempted to stop him. He ignored commands and kept fleeing. Reports state that a sheriff’s helicopter joined in, tracking the SUV from above as Jones drove recklessly through several city streets. From the air, deputies observed him colliding with at least three different vehicles, including two in Coconut Creek. He also rear-ended cars along Lyons Road. Despite the damage, he kept driving.
Authorities said Jones appeared unaware that the helicopter was tailing him throughout his attempted getaway. Finally, about 1:40 p.m., an unmarked police car spotted him again and followed until ground units could move in safely. He eventually pulled into a Bank of America parking lot on South Pompano Parkway in Pompano Beach. That’s where a Broward Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit closed in and placed him under arrest, outside Rotelli’s Pizza and Pasta.
Police charged Jones with multiple offenses, including aggravated stalking, fleeing and eluding law enforcement with lights and sirens activated, obstructing police without violence, failing to remain at the scene of accidents, leaving the scene of crashes, and reckless driving.
Jones was later booked into the Broward County jail. Court records indicate he was released after posting a $26,000 bond.
The woman told investigators this was not the first time she had reported Jones since her move to Coral Springs. She had filed two earlier complaints about him violating the restraining order. The repeated confrontations, coupled with the discovery of the AirTag on her car, added to her fears that he had gone to great lengths to track her whereabouts.
For residents in the cities where the chase unfolded, the incident caused brief but tense disruptions. Several drivers were left dealing with damaged vehicles after being struck.
Authorities did not release details on injuries but emphasized that the collisions were linked directly to Jones’s reckless attempts to escape.
Though Jones is now out on bond, the case highlights ongoing concerns about stalking and the use of technology like tracking devices to monitor victims. The Coral Springs Police Department and the Broward Sheriff’s Office have not released further details but confirmed that investigations into the series of crashes are ongoing.
What began as a quiet Saturday morning in Coral Springs ended as a multi-agency effort spanning four cities, involving patrol units, detectives, a sheriff’s helicopter, and a K-9 team. In the end, police said persistence and coordination allowed them to bring the chase to a safe conclusion and to take Jones into custody without further injuries.
