BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The coincidences started when a woman, who happened to be from Ohio and happened to be chatting with murder suspect Eve Kelley, spotted Kelley and Matthew Dowdel a second time Saturday in Daytona Beach Shores.
Police Chief Stephan Dembinsky said the woman's friend recognized the stolen white Chevy Trailblazer and Kelley and Dowdel as being wanted for murder in Ohio, so she called 911.
"With seconds of that happening, the call comes through communications and the dispatcher said the subject is on A1A, in that car, and they're headed for the pier, is what I understand.," said Dembinsky.
Dembinsky said another coincidence is that his officers just happened to be doing a DUI roadblock on A1A that the murder suspects happened to get caught up in.
"The beach patrol officer directing traffic helping us said the car just went down Ocean's West Boulevard, so we knew they were going to be trapped down there," said Dembinsky.
Dashboard camera video from a Daytona Beach Shores patrol car shows an officer following the SUV into the Walgreens parking lot on A1A and the SUV parking in front of the store.
Dembinsky said Kelley got out first and began to get on the ground when he looked over at Kelley and realized the two of them outnumbered the officer, so both took off running.
A bystander missed when he tried to grab Kelley but was able to block Dowdel just long enough for officers and beach patrol to catch up and arrest Dowdel. Kelley was also picked up nearby.
"They're fortunate they didn't show any guns because they wouldn't have lasted very long," said Dembinsky. "We just took two murderers off the street. There isn't a police officer in this country who wouldn't be proud of what my officers did the other night."
"It's a small town, we have a great police department, and quite frankly if you're wanted for something we're gonna catch you!" said Dembinsky.
Central Florida law enforcement had been looking for Kelley and Dowdel since last Tuesday. As of Monday afternoon, they were still in the Volusia County Jail.