Carjacker who drove towards deputies now in jail

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UPDATE: Justin Kaegael is now in jail. 

Volusia County sheriff’s deputies say 28-year-old Justin Kaegael is in the hospital recovering from four gunshot wounds. Sheriff Mike Chitwood says two deputies opened fire on Kaegael after he drove at them with a stolen car after a wild afternoon. 

“It was so fast and so unexpected you just didn’t know what was happening until it was over,” said Sam Hall.   

Investigators say the trouble started outside the discount market just after 4 p.m. on Tuesday, when Kaegael got mad at his friend for not letting him borrow his car.  The friend tried to pull his keys out of his ignition. 

Investigators say Kaegael got in the driver’s seat and drove off, dragging his friend a quarter-mile down Euclid Street according.  Deputies say Kaegael didn’t stop until he crashed into a pick-up truck right near Sam Hall’s house. 

“They hit him and it really busted that little car up, that’s what stopped it. If it hadn’t been for that they might still be dragging the guy.  His legs were cut up, his shirt was torn, you could see bruises on his side, cuts and bruises on his side and legs,” said Hall.

While two good Samaritans stopped to help the victim, investigators say Kaegael jumped in their car and sped off. 

“Didn’t even slow down for the intersection. Didn’t look or anything,” Hall said.

Deputies say they caught up with Kaegael in Daytona Beach, where he carjacked another vehicle. VCSO says when deputies tried to stop him, they say Kaegael drove at them so deputies fired at him. 

Kaegael is now in the hospital facing a slew of charges when he gets out  His friend is home from the hospital.  He left a note on his door saying he’s in a lot of pain and he doesn’t want to talk.  According to the incident report, the friend told VCSO that he and Kaegael had taken the drug “molly,” or MDMA, around 1:30 that afternoon, and that Kaegael had recently gotten out of rehab.