Police chase suspect on foot after vehicle pursuit

WINDERMERE, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - A man wanted out of Pennsylvania is behind bars, after a big takedown in Florida.  It surprised many residents in the Town of Windermere, who were just getting ready to start their day.

It began as a traffic stop for a speeding violation. Officers say 41-year-old Jason Baldwin refused to stop, but when he did eventually pull over, he got out of his vehicle and fled on foot.

A chase in a usually quiet, residential neighborhood ensued, as children headed to school.  Officers say Baldwin tried hiding outside Gracie Freeman’s home, in an effort to elude officers.

"He saw my dad was checking the sprinklers and he rolled out and went there and tried to go through this gate here,” explained Freeman. “We locked all the doors and just sat in the closet and waited.”

Freeman said she saw the suspect run away from the house, across the street, jumping over a fence into people’s yards. 

“Everyone was freaking out.”

”He had gone into several back yards.  We had school children waiting at the bus stops in the area. We had individuals walking through the side streets,”
said Deputy Chief Jennifer Treadwell of the  Windermere Police Department.

During the chase, an officer suffered a cut to his leg, Treadwell said.

“When he was running after the suspect, he threw the trash cans in his path to toward his efforts to take him into custody, so fortunately his injuries are minor.”

A K-9 officer was able to track Baldwin and catch him nearby. He is wanted for an occupied burglary in Harrisburg, PA. Now, he faces additional charges of fleeing and eluding, aggravated battery, burglary, and resisting with violence. Authorities said he was also driving on a suspended license.