Deputies peacefully resolve standoff with suspect who fled traffic stop

Suspect Michael Eugene Moore had been featured on "America’s Most Wanted" in 1996 after stabbing his wife and abducting his daughter, according to the FCSO.


The scene on Beaverdam Lane Jan. 26. (Photo courtesy of the FCSO)
The scene on Beaverdam Lane Jan. 26. (Photo courtesy of the FCSO)
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UPDATE: 10 a.m. Jan. 27:

The man who fled a traffic stop and held deputies in a three-hour-long standoff on Beaverdam Lane Jan. 26 was featured on "America’s Most Wanted" in 1996 after stabbing his wife 33 times — she survived — and then abducting his 5-year-old daughter, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.

Michael Eugene Moore (Photo courtesy of the FCSO)
Michael Eugene Moore (Photo courtesy of the FCSO)

The Jan. 26 incident began at 3:41 p.m. when a license plate reader detected a vehicle that had been reported stolen in an armed robbery in Virginia. 

Deputies tried to conduct a felony traffic stop on the car on Belle Terre Parkway, but the driver —  later identified as Michael Eugene Moore — didn't pull over, and instead continued into the B-Section and stopped near the intersection of Beaverdam Lane and Belleair Drive. 

"Once he came to a stop, the man didn’t comply with any more demands; he was just refusing to leave the vehicle," Sheriff's' Office spokeswoman Shannon Martin said. 

Deputies evacuated about five of the homes closest to the stopped car. They called out a SWAT team, a hostage negotiation team and K-9 deputies and set up a mobile command center. The county's emergency helicopter, FireFlight, was on scene, as was Sheriff Rick Staly.

In a Facebook Live video posted to the agency's Facebook page earlier during the standoff, Staly had urged residents to stay away from the area, and, if they lived nearby, to stay inside and away from the windows. 

Moore did not appear to have a weapon on him when deputies took him into custody at about 7 p.m., Martin said. 

He had an active fugitive warrant for assault and battery in Virginia and was also under investigation an armed robbery in which a victim was tied up, and her vehicle — the one he was found driving — was stolen, according to an FCSO news release.

“This incident could have had a very different outcome,” Staly said in the news release. “This is a guy with an extremely violent history. We will never know what crimes we may have prevented by apprehending him tonight. I want to thank our citizens for their patience as we worked through this incident. I am very proud of our team and thankful that no one was injured and this violent offender is now in jail where he belongs.” 

Moore is being charged with grand theft and resisting arrest without violence in Flagler County, and is being held as a fugitive from justice for Virginia authorities, according to the news release.

 

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Original story:

Flagler County Sheriff's Office deputies have evacuated about five homes near the intersection of Beaverdam Lane and Belleair Drive as they attempt to resolve a standoff with a man who fled a traffic stop and is driving a vehicle that was reported stolen. 

Deputies tried to pull the car over on Belle Terre Parkway at about 3:45 p.m. Jan. 26, but the driver, who appeared to be alone in the sedan, refused to stop and instead continued to Beaverdam, a residential street, before he stopped the car. 

"Once he came to a stop, the man didn’t comply with any more demands; he was just refusing to leave the vehicle," Sheriff's' Office spokeswoman Shannon Martin said. "We are attempting to reach a peaceful conclusion with the driver. That hasn’t happened as of yet."

It was not clear if the man was armed, she said. 

When deputies ran the car's tag, it came up as stolen.

They brought out a SWAT team and a mobile command station, and the county's emergency helicopter, FireFlight.

The situation continued as of 7:00 p.m. Jan. 26, with Sheriff Rick Staly also on scene. In a Facebook Live video posted to the agency's Facebook page, he urged residents to stay away from the area, and, if they lived nearby, to stay inside and away from the windows. 

"Time is on our side. We're taking the time we need to try to negotiate and have a peaceful resolution to this situation," he said. "But at this time it's still very fluid, it's still very dangerous, and our number one priority is to keep you safe and the men and women, the deputies who are on the scene, safe also."

 

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