MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — In the case that gained national attention this week of the family carjacked on the way home from Disney, new images were taken just before that violent attack in Martin County helped deputies identify a suspect quickly.
Martin County detectives tracked down the suspect, 21-year-old Jaquay Jean, in North Miami.
WPTV NewsChannel 5 obtained still photos investigators say shows Jean getting dropped off at a gas station in Palm City Sunday.
Surveillance video from that Mobil station appears to capture the suspect circling his intended target a few moments later… before striking.
“Today’s jury almost expects some kind of video evidence," said Martin County Sheriff William Snyder.
Sheriff Snyder says when it comes to video, there’s a delicate balance of personal liberty, privacy, and the need to protect ourselves from criminals.
“As long as government continues to respect individual rights, video evidence and video camera are probably going to be part of American life for the foreseeable future," added the Sheriff.
In fact, video has helped MCSO detectives solve two major crimes in the past few weeks.
Investigators say they also have video that captures the moments 23-year-old Diana Ortiz of Fort Pierce was killed in the parking lot of Sea Turtle Beach in Jensen Beach. Stuart Police later captured her accused killer, Oscar Gil, who was involved in a crash.
“We still have work to do. Video doesn’t do away with good police work. It just lends a piece of evidence that is so damning, that’s oftentimes the end of the case as far as court," said Sheriff Snyder.