A man was recently sentenced for a carjacking in Central Florida.
The case against 20-year-old Demitri Hunter Nichols concluded when Nichols pleaded to charges of Carjacking with a Firearm, Shooting at, Within, or Into an Occupied Vehicle, Fleeing or Attempting to Elude, and Resisting a Law Enforcement Officer without Violence last month.
Nichols was sentenced to 20 years in the Florida Department of Corrections, which is a minimum-mandatory term. After his incarceration, Nichols will be placed on probation for 10 years.
In March of 2024, Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a location off Ft. Island Trail in reference to a physical disturbance. While en route, Lieutenant Corbin observed a vehicle matching the description of the victim’s vehicle. He attempted to make a traffic stop on the vehicle when the driver, later identified as the defendant, started to accelerate at a high speed.
During the multi-mile pursuit, officers deployed tire deflation devices and successfully disabled the vehicle. Nichols ,who was then 19 years old, was detained and questioned. He stated to law enforcement that he and the victim got into an argument, and when it turned physical, he decided to leave in the victim’s vehicle.
Contact was made with the victim, who told deputies that Nichols began to have violent outbursts and fired a firearm outside the passenger window of the vehicle multiple times. The victim then pulled over and exited the vehicle along with three other witnesses.
At this time, the victim told officials that they got into an argument with the defendant that escalated to Nichols striking the victim in the face multiple times. As the victim recounted what happened, deputies were able to observe obvious injuries to the victim’s face.
The victim further stated that after falling to the ground, the defendant stood over top of them and pointed the firearm at their head before leaving in the victim’s vehicle. The three other witnesses corroborated the victim’s statement.
The State Attorney’s office extended thanks to law enforcement partners and to Assistant State Attorney Patsey Jacobs for prosecuting this Central Florida case.
