INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A man on probation for attempted murder was seriously injured following a police chase this week that ended when his car struck a tree and burst into flames. A sheriff’s deputy and Vero Beach police officer pulled the man from the wreckage moments before the vehicle became fully engulfed in the blaze, officials said.
The man, identified as Donald James Jr., had a broken femur and was taken to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce, according to police. James remained hospitalized as of Tuesday, said Lt. Kevin Jaworski, a spokesperson for the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
James, 40, of Fort Pierce, faces charges of fleeing and eluding an officer and driving while license suspended. James was released from prison on probation in 2023 following a 16-year-stint for an attempted second-degree murder charge in Seminole County, court records show.
The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office on Monday released body-camera footage of the aftermath from the fiery wreck.
The incident unfolded shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday when Vero Beach police spotted a vehicle they described as suspicious in the parking lot of the European Flight Academy, located in the 2900 block of Pro Flite Drive.
Officers saw the driver, later identified as James, sleeping in the red 2017 Honda Accord. Police knocked on the passenger’s door to wake James.
Officers said they announced themselves several times when James woke up. James replied “Yo,” reports show.
Police asked James to roll down the window so they could speak with him. James “made movements as if he was attempting to roll the window down,” reports show.
Officers said James reached for his keys and turned the vehicle on. Then, James put the car in reverse and drove away at a high rate of speed without switching on his headlights or any running lights, reports show.
Police activated their emergency lights and sirens as they followed the car. Officers briefly lost track of the car as it sped off.
Police eventually found the vehicle in flames on the west side of the intersection of 26th Street and 82nd Avenue in the West Vero Corridor. After being pulled from the wreck, James was taken by ambulance to the hospital.
