Alleged chase, gunfire land Fort Walton Beach man in jail

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. — A Fort Walton Beach man allegedly chased a vehicle and shot at it in two different locations in the city during the chase, the Fort Walton Beach Police Department said in a press release.

According to the Fort Walton Beach Police Department (FWBPD), Samuel Kortez Jones, AKA “Tez,” 29, of Piedmont Place in Fort Walton Beach, has been arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The incident involved targeted violence between persons known to each other and was not random, the FWBPD said. There is no reason for concern about further violence toward anyone else, the department said.

According to the FWBPD, on August 16, at approximately 8:49 p.m., officers responded to a shots fired complaint at the intersection of Harbeson Avenue and Bobolink Drive. Their vehicle had a bullet hole visible in the front passenger door of the vehicle.

The two victims in the vehicle reported that Jones began following them east on Walter Martin Road and south on Harbeson Ave. and fired several shots at their vehicle as he followed them.

The victims said they turned west on McGriff Street, and the defendant continued south on Harbeson Ave.

When the victims reached Beal Parkway and stopped at the stop sign, they said they saw the defendant traveling north on Beal Parkway, where he reportedly stopped in the parking lot of 31 Beal Parkway NW and got out of his vehicle.

The victims made a U-turn to evade the defendant and said he pointed a firearm at them.

The victims said they traveled east along McGriff St. and then north on Shell Avenue. The defendant allegedly blocked their path at Shell Ave. and Walter Martin Rd. where he and an unidentified male in the passenger seat of the defendant’s vehicle both shot at the victims as the victims tried to make a U-turn and their vehicle became stuck on a curb.

One of the victims reportedly retrieved her firearm from her purse and returned fire at Jones and his companion. The defendant and companion are said to have stopped shooting at that time.

The victims got their vehicle moving again and drove toward US Highway 98 and said Jones stopped following them.

According to the FWBPD, Jones was known to the victims by name, and they identified him to officers. He was subsequently located and initially denied firing a handgun at all. He later reportedly admitted shooting at the victims over a prior dispute from a few days earlier.

A search warrant at his residence reportedly located a firearm of the same caliber as shell casings found at the crime scenes.

The identity of the second person in the car with Jones is currently unknown, and the investigation remains open and ongoing.

Anyone with information or video evidence related to this case should contact Detective Eric Boucher at (850) 833-9546 or Emerald Coast Crimestoppers at (850) 863-TIPS.