Man in custody after carjacking outside of smoke shop in Deltona, deputies say

Kenneth Ocasio, 19, faces charges of carjacking and false imprisonment

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A man wanted by deputies after a January carjacking outside of a Deltona smoke shop is now in custody, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said Ocasio and Tristan Daniels, 19, stole a vehicle from the High Spirits Smoke Shop at 712 Fort Smith Blvd. with a customer’s girlfriend still in the passenger seat on Jan. 19.

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Deputies responded to the smoke shop after the customer reported his Kia Forte stolen from the parking lot. He told deputies an unknown suspect wearing a ski mask jumped in the car and took off with his girlfriend still in the vehicle.

The woman was able to jump from the moving Kia a short time later when the vehicle slowed down, deputies said. She had minor injuries to her foot and knee from falling on the pavement, but declined medical attention, according to a news release.

Law enforcement said they were able to quickly identify the suspects involved as Kenneth Ocasio and Tristan Daniels.

Deputies said Kenneth Ocasio, 19, was captured on Saturday, Feb. 4 after an anonymous tip indicated he was about to be picked up from a location that was under surveillance by law enforcement.

A traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle that left the location and found Ocasio in the back seat, according to a news release.

Deputies said Ocasio was cooperative and his family indicated they were helping him turn himself in.

Ocasio was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail where he was being held without bond on charges of carjacking and false imprisonment, according to the release. At his first appearance in court Sunday, Ocasio was appointed a public defender and granted no bond amount by a judge who found probable cause, records show.

According to deputies, the carjacking case was featured during the wanted segment on “On Patrol: Live” on Friday evening.


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About the Author:

Jacob joined ClickOrlando.com in 2022. He spent 19 years at the Orlando Sentinel, mostly as a photojournalist and video journalist, before joining Spectrum News 13 as a web editor and digital journalist in 2021.

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