St. Augustine man arrested for Gainesville carjacking

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Edward Dwayne Harris, 31, of St. Augustine, was arrested today and charged with carjacking with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The victim told a Gainesville Police Department Officer that she was driving in the 3300 block of NE 12th Street at 8:20 a.m. on October 26 when two men in a yellow pickup (later determined to be stolen) drove up behind her car and then pulled in front of her and abruptly stopped, forcing her to stop her vehicle. She reported that one man, later identified as Harris, got out of the passenger side of the pickup, armed with a revolver, and ran to the victim’s car, pulled the driver’s side door open, pointed the gun at the victim, and told her to get out of the vehicle. She said he pushed her out of the way, causing her to fall to the ground. She also said he tried unsuccessfully to take her cell phone.

Harris then allegedly got into the victim’s car and drove away at a high rate of speed, followed by the second man in the pickup truck. A short distance away, Harris reportedly ran over a speed bump at a high rate of speed and lost control of the car, crashing it into a telephone pole. He then reportedly got out of the victim’s car and got back into the pickup truck; investigators determined that the two men eventually drove to St. Johns County.

The second man, identified as Marcus Antwone Thomas, 28, was arrested several hours later by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office after they spotted the stolen pickup truck, but Harris reportedly fled. Thomas was charged with fleeing, driving on a suspended license, and reckless driving. Harris was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after deputies reportedly found a revolver in the truck that matched the description of the firearm used in the Gainesville carjacking.

On November 2, a GPD detective interviewed Thomas in the St. Johns County Jail. Post Miranda, he initially denied ever being in Gainesville but later reportedly confessed to driving the stolen yellow pickup truck to Gainesville. He reportedly said he had purchased the truck for $20 on the same morning they drove to Gainesville. He also reportedly admitted that he was driving the truck when Harris stole the vehicle in Gainesville. Thomas was reportedly hesitant to provide the identity of his co-defendant but eventually provided his name and a Facebook photo.

The detective viewed surveillance video from a Walmart in Jacksonville, where Thomas said the two men had stopped on October 26. The video showed a man with Thomas who matched the description provided by the victim.

Edwards has three felony convictions and has served two state prison terms; he was most recently released on June 25, 2022, after serving a 3-year sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Judge Walter Green set bail at $375,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.