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Carjacked truck hits car head on in Tampa

By Jackie Ripley, Times Staff Writer
In print: Wednesday, April 16, 2008

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For Yelitza Padron and Mary Remington, Tuesday started as a typical morning. Then it became anything but.

Before she could leave her Carrollwood home, Padron handed over her Dodge Dakota to an armed carjacker.

Then the hijacked truck hit Remington's Toyota head on.

"It was totally out of the blue," said Remington, 37. "When I first saw the truck coming toward me, I thought it was some random guy late for work."

Deputies were chasing the truck, driven by Dayquan Rashard Johnson, 18, of 109 W Wilder Ave.

"I heard sirens, and they had their guns drawn," Remington said. "I was just sitting there in shock."

Hillsborough sheriff's officials said Johnson approached Padron at 7:44 a.m. in front of 10303 Bramblewood Place. Her boyfriend's two young children were already in the truck. Officials said Johnson told Padron, 29, she could get the children out of the vehicle, but not her purse.

Officials said Johnson took off in the truck. When he was spotted by deputies, they tried to halt the truck with stop sticks near Sickles High School. They said Johnson nearly hit a deputy before driving off and colliding with Remington.

"The last car in front of me went onto Van Dyke, and I saw this pickup truck coming straight at me," said Remington, who was not seriously injured. "My old '87 Supra must be pretty well made."

Johnson was charged with armed carjacking, three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, grand theft auto, burglary, felony fleeing and eluding, and aggravated assault with a motor vehicle.

He was being held Tuesday without bail.