Police identify 4 suspects arrested in chase involving U-Haul van on Turnpike

Police have identified the four suspects that were arrested following a pursuit involving a stolen U-Haul van on Florida's Turnpike in northwest Miami-Dade Thursday.

Mekal Tarashi Wilson, 36, Shuneka Oreatha Gordon, 38, and Norbert Alphonso Baugh, 33, were taken into custody Thursday, Florida Highway Patrol officials said.

The fourth suspect, 36-year-old Jermaal Calvin Stennett, was booked into jail Friday morning.

According to an arrest report, the Homestead Police Department and Miami-Dade police requested FHP assistance to end a pursuit involving a stolen U-Haul cargo van.

Authorities said the vehicle had been stolen out of Broward County and was involved in several thefts and a battery on a Homestead police officer.

Footage showed dozens of law enforcement vehicles following the van on the Turnpike northbound around 2:30 p.m.

Florida Highway Patrol vehicles and officers from multiple police agencies were pursuing the van as it fled at a high rate of speed, weaving in and out of traffic.

The chase ended when FHP troopers were able to use three P.I.T. maneuvers on the van, sending it into the side wall of an overpass near Northwest 106th Street.

Three of the suspects, Wilson, Gordon and Baugh, were turned in to Homestead Police. Officials identified Wilson as the driver of the van.

Footage showed one suspect dangling over the side of the wall before he was brought back up by police and put in handcuffs.

According to an arrest report, prior to the chase, police were advised by a Kohl's loss prevention officer of a theft.

The suspects entered the store and went their separate ways.

Wilson and Gordon walked through the store and acted as lookouts while Stennett and Baugh got shopping carts, the report said.

Concealing their identities with face masks, Stennett and Baugh started placing everything from sneakers to pants to socks inside the shopping carts.

Wilson and Gordon left the store and parked the U-Haul van by the emergency exit and waited for the other two suspects to come out with the merchandise.

Stennett and Baugh left the store without paying and put the shopping carts with the merchandise in the van.

The arrest report said the suspects stole over $2,500 worth of items.

As the suspects tried to leave, a Homestead Police officer tried to stop them and ordered the suspects to get out of the van, but instead, the driver went into reverse and rammed the officer's patrol car.

Gordon is facing charges of retail theft with a prior conviction, and Stennett and Baugh are facing charges of retail theft greater than $750.

Wilson is facing charges of fleeing and attempting to elude police at high speed, battery, aggravated bodily harm with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, retail theft greater than $750, grand left in the 3rd degree, and resisting officer with violence to his person.

All suspects appeared in bond court Friday.