UPDATE 12/9/24 12:03 p.m.
In the arrest report from the Lee County Sheriff's Office, investigators say the 16-year-old carjacked a woman in the parking lot of Southwest Florida Christian Academy on Friday.
Deputies says Felix Marcial Ayala threatened to shoot the woman if she didn't hand over the keys.
Investigators say Ayala spotted the keys in the backseat, grabbed them and drove off.
Three hours later, troopers say they spotted the stolen red van near Daniels Parkway and Paul J. Doherty Parkway.
LCSO says FHP tried to pull the van over.
In this dashcam video from FHP, you can see the van swerving off the road and taking off.
Troopers followed the van to a parking lot where it crashed into empty parked cars.
Then, deputies say the two people inside the stolen van got out and ran toward RSW.
LCSO says Ayala trespassed through the secure fence, and made it onto the tarmac with a trooper right behind him.
Watch video from the LCSO here:
FHP arrested Ayala and a 17-year-old boy, Cecil Bernard Woodard Jr, who they say was driving Ayala in the stolen car.
Ayayla was arrested for carjacking without a firearm, trespassing and resisting an officer without violence.
Fox 4 reached out to RSW about its security measures, but they didn't respond.
Southwest Florida Christian Academy also did not respond to our request.
This isn't Ayala's first run-in with law enforcement.
Back in 2022, Ayala and his brother were arrested for breaking into a gun store and stealing 22 guns in Cape Coral.
They also took ammunition and magazines.
Police say they located a notebook in which the pair planned the heist in great detail. Ayala had already been on probation for an unrelated robbery when he arrested for the burglary.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Felix Marcial Ayala, 16, after they say he carjacked a woman within a parking lot on Colonial Blvd on Friday.
Deputies say Ayala approached the victim and demanded her keys. Due to the nature of the incident, LCSO says members of the Violent Crimes Unit immediately responded and began to track down Ayala.
With the assistance of Florida Highway Patrol, the vehicle was located traveling on Paul J Doherty Pkwy.
WATCH THE PURSUIT HERE:
As FHP and LCSO Patrol attempted a traffic stop, the driver and passenger, Ayala, fled from law enforcement and crashed into several unoccupied vehicles. The driver of the vehicle and Ayala attempted to flee on foot, resulting in immediate apprehension of the driver, followed by Ayala being apprehended on Southwest Florida International Airport property.
Ayala was charged with carjacking without firearm or weapon, trespassing on critical infrastructure property, and resisting an officer.
FHP took custody of the driver.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno gave the following statement:
“I will not tolerate anyone putting residents of Lee County at risk through actions like this,” said Sheriff Carmine Marceno. “I am incredibly proud of my deputies, detectives, and members of our Aviation Unit for swiftly removing this suspect from our streets. I also want to thank our surrounding law enforcement agencies. It is our great partnership that ensures the safety and order of Southwest Florida."
