Multiple law enforcement agencies coordinated to arrest fugitive Douglas Terrell on Saturday night in Bradford County after a 24-hour span that included two standoffs.
According to releases from the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) and Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, Terrell, 50, was apprehended around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday at a car shop on County Road 18 between Brooker and Graham and charged with robbery with a firearm, armed burglary and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. More charges are pending.
The incident started on Friday evening when BCSO deputies attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle on CR 18 in Brooker. Terrell and his girlfriend, Michelle Vasquez, 49, were inside the vehicle. The vehicle failed to stop and led deputies on a pursuit down a dirt road to a cemetery where Terrell fled the vehicle before responding deputies arrived.
Deputies interviewed Vasquez and she provided them with a false name for Terrell. At the time, Terrell was in possession of a firearm and had an extensive criminal history that included more than 15 felony charges, according to the BCSO release.
BCSO deputies and detectives continued the investigation which led them to a car shop on CR 18 between Brooker and Graham. When deputies arrived, three men exited the building and told deputies that Terrell had entered the shop with a firearm, holding them at gunpoint and threatening to shoot them if they did not give him their cellphones.
Terrell had a potential hostage and was barricaded inside the car shop as the Bradford/Union County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team was activated and responded to the scene.
After attempting to contact Terrell for a few hours, SWAT personnel entered the car shop and found it deserted. The suspect had fled through the back door into the woods before a perimeter being set up.
A search warrant was obtained for Terrell’s arrest due to his violent history and evading law enforcement.
On Saturday morning, ACSO received an anonymous tip on Terrell’s whereabouts and responded to Waldo to locate the fugitive in a structure in Waldo on US Highway 301 near the Waldo Flea Market. Following a standoff with multiple law enforcement agencies, Terrell again evaded capture and returned to Bradford County.
BCSO detectives tracked Terrell back to the car shop in Brooker and maintained surveillance while the SWAT team was again activated and responded. Law enforcement descended on the area and captured Terrell.
Vasquez was also arrested and charged with providing false information to law enforcement.
BCSO was assisted in Terrell’s apprehension by ACSO, Alachua County Fire Rescue, Florida Highway Patrol, Union County and RMC Correctional Institution K-9 teams, St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.