VSO Arrests Carjacking Suspect from Mangroves

A man suspected of committing carjacking was arrested Monday after reportedly trying to hide in a patch of mangrove trees, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office announced. 34-year-old Grant Hagood-James is in custody after being apprehended in Port Orange. The incident occurred just before 9:00 pm on Monday, when a man said he was asked for a ride on South Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach Shores. The man asking for the ride, identified as Hagood-James, is then said to have pulled out a gun and ordered the driver to exit his vehicle. He then reportedly drove away in it. A search for the suspect began shortly thereafter, and where Hagood-James is said to have appeared next is not where he was likely expected. He reportedly was seen swimming in the Halifax River up to the deck of a Port Orange restaurant. According to the VSO, he got out, ran inside, took off his shirt, and then jumped back into the river. The search for Hagood-James involved the Volusia Sheriff’s Office Air One helicopter, plus K9 units, drones, and boats. Other agencies who assisted in the manhunt included Daytona Beach Shores Public Safety, the Edgewater Police Department, and the Port Orange Police Department. Hagood-James was ultimately found in a patch of mangrove trees in the Halifax River. He was arrested without incident, charged with armed carjacking. As of Wednesday he remains in custody at the Volusia County Branch Jail without bond. The victim’s car was later discovered in a residential yard on Shamrock Drive in Port Orange, the VSO says. In the near vicinity, law enforcement discovered a gun. Fortunately, the victim was not injured in the scary and bizarre ordeal. Prior charges on record for Hagood-James in Volusia County include domestic battery, cocaine possession, and resisting an officer without violence among others.