Fort Pierce woman allegedly attacked and abducted: Two people in custody

ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. - The Fort Pierce Police Department and the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office are working together to investigate the suspected abduction, sexual battery and carjacking of a woman that took place Wednesday night.

The abduction and carjacking took place in the city of Fort Pierce, and  the sexual attack  happened in the unincorporated area of St. Lucie County, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office. Both agencies  pursued and eventually caught two men.

18-year-old Derrick Antonio Bynum of Vero Beach is charged with aggravated fleeing and eluding, felony battery of a law officer and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The other suspect, 24-year-old Todd Stephens, also of Vero Beach, is charged with resisting arrest without violence, use or display of a weapon during the commission of a felony.

Both suspects are expected to be brought to St. Lucie County for additional questioning.

The incident began Wednesday night when Fort Pierce Police officers were sent to investigate a possible carjacking and abduction by two men accused of stealing a white SUV at gunpoint, and kidnapping the car's owner.

Fort Pierce police and St. Lucie County deputies began looking for the stolen vehicle when an undercover deputy spotted the SUV only a few blocks away. Both a deputy and a Fort Pierce Police officer tried to stop the suspects but as they approached the stolen SUV, the driver backed up and rammed the deputy's vehicle, then drove away, the sheriff's office said.

The sheriff's helicopter was sent to the area where it spotted the stolen vehicle and assisted police on the ground.

An undercover St. Lucie County detective was almost able to stop the suspects but they got away again, nearly hitting an Indian River County deputy trying to stop them.

The suspects turned into a residential area and then jumped from the vehicle just north of the St. Lucie County line. Deputies and officers took the suspects into custody, and then took them to the Indian River County Jail. Both suspects faced county court appearances Thursday morning in Indian River County.

Both the Fort Piece Police Department and the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office are continuing their investigation, and more charges by both agencies are likely.

The condition of the alleged victim has not been released.