Volusia deputies capture two in armed robbery after chase

Two men suspected in two armed robberies in Volusia County were arrested Wednesday after deputies caught them, according to a Sheriff ’s Office report.

Antonio Harris, 33, and Alexis Neal, 27, both of Daytona Beach, face multiple charges, including robbery with a firearm and heroin possession. Both are felons recently released from prison, the report said. Harris was convicted of robbery with a firearm, and Neal of carjacking with a firearm.

The first robbery was around 4 p.m. in the Daytona Beach area. The victim said he was working on a Granada Avenue house when a burgundy Nissan Altima pulled up and a passenger pointed a gun at him. The suspect demanded his wallet, money and cell phone, the report said.

While deputies were searching for the Altima, they got another call about an armed robbery involving the same vehicle description around 6 p.m. in Lake Helen.

Soon after the robbery, a deputy spotted the Altima speeding north on Prevatt Avenue. Deputies deployed stop sticks halt the vehicle.

The driver was able to avoid the sticks once, but a second attempt damaged one of the car’s tires, causing it to disintegrate, deputies said. The suspects continued to flee, driving on three tires and a rim as they tossed a bag of heroin and a handgun from the car, the report said.

Harris and Neal eventually ditched the car at the Malibu Condominiums on South Atlantic Avenue and were captured soon after, according to the report. The gun had been reported stolen in Holly Hill, investigators said.

Besides the robbery and drug charges, Harris faces counts of aggravated fleeing and eluding law enforcement, grand theft of a firearm and possession of a gun by a convicted felon, the Sheriff’s Office said. Neal faces similar charges. Both are being held without bond in the Volusia County Branch Jail, the report said.