Share and Follow
By Staff Reporter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 21-year-old man from Palatka, Derrick Earl Burke, was taken into custody after attempting to flee from law enforcement officers near the Quality Inn on Newberry Road. The pursuit concluded in the parking lot of an emergency room situated in the Hunter’s Crossing area.
To view the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office video capturing both chases, click here.
On February 5 at approximately 2:37 p.m., deputies from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call at the Quality Inn located at 7516 West Newberry Road. A woman had emerged from her hotel room in distress, shouting “Call 911,” as her boyfriend was reportedly armed. The suspect was identified as a black male, clad in black attire and carrying a pink backpack.
The first deputy to arrive at the scene spotted a man fitting the description at the entrance of the Quality Inn. The deputy activated his patrol car’s lights and instructed the man to lie on the ground. When the suspect refused to obey, the deputy attempted to subdue him with a taser. However, the taser did not have the desired effect, prompting the man to escape on foot. A pursuit ensued around the Quality Inn, leading through a Walgreens parking lot, where the suspect leaped into a retention pond. Despite attempting to climb out of the pond, the suspect was unable to clear the fence, allowing the deputy to tackle him. The suspect allegedly continued to resist arrest, reaching for his waistband before finally being restrained with handcuffs.
A search of the backpack, incident to arrest, reportedly produced a loaded handgun, a loaded magazine, and a box of ammunition.
The deputy reported that Burke is currently on probation out of Putnam County and is not allowed to possess a firearm under the terms of his probation; however, he is not considered a convicted felon because adjudication of guilt was withheld. Burke has been charged with unlawfully carrying a concealed firearm, tampering with evidence, and resisting without violence.
Burke was transported to the HCA Florida Millhopper Emergency Room (4388 Northwest 53rd Avenue) to be medically cleared because a taser was deployed. Burke’s hands were handcuffed behind his back, and he was being escorted out of the emergency room when he twisted out of a deputy’s control and ran south along NW 43rd Street. The deputy pursued him on foot through the Hunter’s Crossing shopping center parking lot, where he lost sight of Burke. A perimeter was established, and K-9 units began tracking Burke.
Burke was found behind a home in the residential neighborhood south of Hunter’s Crossing Apartments. When he saw the deputy, he allegedly began to flee again and tried to jump a wooden fence, but the deputy pulled him off the fence and took him into custody.
Charges of escape and resisting an officer without violence were added to the previous charges.
Burke has juvenile convictions between 2014 and 2021, one adult felony conviction (violent), and three misdemeanor convictions (one violent); he is on probation and pre-trial diversion on separate cases in Putnam County. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $110,000.
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.