MANGONIA PARK, Fla. – A suspect in a series of armed carjackings and a double shooting in Broward County has been arrested in Palm Beach County.
Gregory B. Moore, 35, was apprehended Wednesday afternoon at a Tri-Rail station in Mangonia Park, which is north of West Palm Beach.
Alessandro Wright told Local 10 News he had just stepped off the train when he witnessed the capture.
"I turned and I see some guy trying to run, and I see a whole bunch of FBI agents and police officers running after him," Wright said.
Wright said tear gas clouded the station.
"I thought it was gunshots going off and I got scared," Wright said. "I was ready to duck for cover."
Manhunt begins Tuesday after series of carjackings, shooting
The FBI and local law enforcement agencies had been searching for Moore since Tuesday's crime spree that left one man dead and another woman in the hospital.
Fort Lauderdale police said the first incident began about 8 a.m. when Moore approached a woman in a Suzuki while she was on her way to take her son to school on Sunrise Boulevard. Moore ordered the woman to drive the car to I-95.
Upon reaching the highway, Moore ordered the woman and her son out of the car and fled southbound on I-95 into Dania Beach.
Police said Moore then carjacked a Chevrolet Silverado on I-95 near Griffin Road and drove to an insurance office on Hallandale Beach Boulevard, where he shot a man and a woman who were inside a red Chevrolet.
The wounded man ran to a medical center across the street, but he was later pronounced dead at Memorial Regional Hospital. Police believe the woman was Moore's estranged girlfriend.
After the shootings, Moore attempted and failed to carjack three more vehicles before driving northbound on I-95 and flagging down a passerby, where he successfully carjacked a silver Mercedes near Pembroke Road. He abandoned it on I-95 at Broward Boulevard after crashing the car.
Several law enforcement agencies were involved in the search, which forced school lockdowns and caused commuter chaos when I-95 was shut down mid-morning.
Witness to carjacking narrowly avoids becoming victim
"I think he definitely had a gun in his right hand," said the last person to see Moore before he ran away.
The woman, who identified herself only as Sarah and said she didn't want to show her face on camera, said Moore crashed a silver Mercedes-Benz in front of her as she was getting on I-95 at Broward Boulevard.
Police said it was the third vehicle Moore had carjacked during his crime spree. Sarah said she was stunned to learn later why the stranger ran away after he crashed in front of her.
"I was less than 20 feet away from him and, for whatever reason, he decided to take off on foot and not carjack my car, you know, thank God," she told Local 10 News reporter Roger Lohse.
The woman who was shot has been identified as Danielle Roland, Moore's ex-girlfriend. She worked at the insurance office near where the shooting occurred and was sitting in a red Chevrolet at the time.
As for Moore, records show he has a lengthy criminal record dating to 1997. He has served almost nine years in state prison. His most recent arrest occurs Sunday morning at Roland's apartment in Lauderhill following a domestic dispute. Records show he had a loaded .38-caliber handgun in his waistband at the time. He faced a weapons possession charge but posted the standard $2,500 bond and was released before seeing a judge.
Former Broward County prosecutor Greg Rossman, who's now in private practice, explains that despite the fact that Moore is a convicted felon, the booking system worked in Moore's favor.
"Somebody who has prior felony convictions really ought to go before a judge so a judge can properly consider that, and they may get the standard bond, but at least then a judge has had the opportunity to say, 'Hey, this person is or isn't a danger for whatever reason,'" Rossman said.
Jonathan Marion
Moore, who was considered armed and dangerous, faces federal charges and was held Wednesday night in federal custody. He was expected to appear before a federal judge Thursday morning in Fort Lauderdale.
The FBI said two others were also detained, including Jonathan Marion. He is facing federal charges of accessory after the fact to carjacking and homicide.
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