Man steals Jaguar while committing crime spree in Volusia County, deputies say

Deputy deploys Taser to stop suspect

Anthony Gunther

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Volusia County deputies say a man broke into two vehicles, stole a Jaguar from a car dealership and led deputies on an aerial chase that ended with him trying to carjack a man before a deputy used a Taser to stop him.

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Authorities said the string of crimes began Tuesday at about 4:04 p.m. in Seville when a woman reported she saw someone trying to break into her vehicle that was parked in her driveway so she got her firearm to scare the man, later identified as 34-year-old Anthony Gunther.

When the victim went outside to confront Gunther, he came toward her in an aggressive manner, so she fired a shot into the ground to scare him off, according to the affidavit. Gunther took a silver bracelet he retrieved by reaching into the victim's open vehicle window and fled the home in a red SUV, which had been reported stolen out of Holly Hill earlier that day, deputies said.

Minutes later, at 4:11 p.m., deputies said they got a call that turned out to be a car break-in in progress at a Kangaroo gas station in Seville. In that case, the victim reported a man parked a red SUV next to her 2011 Chevrolet then used a tool to break one of the windows on her vehicle, according to the report.

Deputies said Gunther fled in the stolen SUV without stealing anything from the woman's Chevrolet. Deputies said they spotted his vehicle traveling about 90 mph near McBride Road and Lake George Road but lost sight of him going southbound on Highway 17.

A third call came in at 4:37 p.m. about a white Jaguar XJR that was stolen from a car dealership in Pierson. Employees at the dealership told authorities that Gunther arrived in a red SUV and said that he had just inherited $50,000 from his grandmother so he wanted to purchase a car, the report said.

Gunther told employees the first vehicle they tried to show him wasn't fast enough so they offered to show him a white Jaguar XJR, according to the affidavit. Deputies said an employee got the keys, turned the car on and stepped out of the vehicle, which is when Gunther then jumped into the driver's seat and drove off.

The report said that the Volusia County Sheriff's Office helicopter unit followed Gunther as he drove the stolen Jaguar in Pierson. Stop sticks were successfully deployed twice, but Gunther didn't stop until he reached the intersection of County Road 3 and State Road 40, according to a news release.

Deputies said Gunther got out of the vehicle and attempted to carjack a man and his friend who were stopped in the area to look at a house boat that was for sale. Gunther got into the driver's seat of the black Ford F-150 and the victim got in the passenger's seat to attempt to stop him, according to the affidavit.

The two men struggled for control of the gear until a deputy deployed a Taser on Gunther, at which point Gunther surrendered, the report said.

Gunther was then taken into custody.

When deputies searched the stolen red SUV, they said they found three cellphones, several ID cards, a Social Security card, a laptop and other items that did not belong to the owner of the vehicle.

None of the victims were injured.

Jail records show Gunther is facing charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle, battery, carjacking, burglary, criminal mischief, petit theft, resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license.


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