A traffic stop Tuesday morning ended in the arrest of a wanted felon believed to be part of a gang and the recovery of a stolen vehicle.
Police said James Dandy Uyanna, 35, sped through a school zone in High Springs shortly before 7:30 a.m.
Uyanna then drove away from police until he reached a CVS Health Pharmacy drive-thru, according to a police report. He got out of his car and ran away before officers caught up.
When officers searched the car, they found four stolen car tags from North Carolina; a revolver on the passenger seat; a 9mm Springfield semi-automatic on the passenger floor; a small amount of marijuana; plastic bags full of change; 27 stolen credit and debit cards in various purses throughout the vehicle and in his wallet and pockets; stolen gift cards and a stolen Georgia license.
The car itself had been stolen from North Carolina, and the license tag had been stolen from Georgia, according to the report. He also had $1,300 in cash.
After Uyanna’s arrest, police learned he was a convicted felon and was wanted for credit card fraud in North Carolina.
Lt. Antoine Sheppard from High Springs Police said he suspects that Uyanna is part of the Felony Lane Gang, which is a group of thieves primarily on the East Coast who target cars in parking lots for purses, wallets and license tags.
Police arrested him on 40 charges, including grand theft of a vehicle, more than 30 larceny charges, a traffic violation and marijuana possession. As of press time, Uyanna remained at the Alachua County Jail in lieu of a $432,000 bond.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 1/8/2015 under the headline "Wanted felon arrested during traffic stop"]
