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Carjacker accused of taking EMS vehicle for a joyride before crashing in Tampa heads to prison

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Published  August 22, 2024 5:13pm EDT
Hillsborough County
FOX 13 News

Man accepts plea deal after carjacking EMS vehicle

Aaron Mesmer reports

TAMPA, Fla. - A Lakeland man accused in a series of crimes, including carjacking an EMS vehicle and taking it for a joyride, agreed to a plea deal Thursday that will keep him in prison for 25 years.

Had Gregory McGall, 37, not agreed to plead guilty he could have faced life in prison, prosecutors said during a hearing in Hillsborough County court.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a supervisor with American Medical Response (AMR) said he came upon a crash on the southbound I-75 exit ramp to westbound I-4 around 2 a.m. on March 22. Troopers said the crash involved a pickup truck, which was later determined to be stolen.

FHP releases video of carjacking suspect

The Florida Highway Patrol released video of a carjacking suspect's getaway after stealing an emergency response SUV and leading Hillsborough County deputies on a chase early Friday.

The supervisor said he saw one man run down the roadway embankment, while a second man, later identified as McGall, stood in the roadway. 

Troopers said McGall then climbed into the AMR vehicle and took it on a joyride. It was found crashed and abandoned hours after the carjacking.

Hillsborough County deputies said, three days later, McGall was spotted in a silver Nissan Altima driven by Jerry Skidmore, 42, who had active warrants, near Highway 60 and County Line Road. 

The sheriff’s office said investigators saw the vehicle stopping at a gas station and went in to make an arrest. Deputies add that the vehicle tried to leave, but it was quickly stopped.

McGall was been charged with criminal mischief of $1,000 or more, grand theft motor vehicle, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell or deliver, possession of a controlled substance, resisting officer without violence, out of county warrant for home invasion, out of county warrant for petit theft, out of county warrant for carjacking, carjacking, criminal mischief to telephone, aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony.

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