OCALA, Fla. — Ocala police say a traffic stop led to the arrest of a man who had been wanted for attempted murder for months.
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Detectives obtained a warrant for the arrest of 31-year-old Carlos McDonald back in June of 2021.
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Police say on June 16, McDonald shot a 49-year-old man multiple times on Northwest 17th Ave. in Ocala and left him there to die on the sidewalk.
The victim was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery and ended up surviving the shooting.
Police say McDonald called one of the victim’s friends hours after the shooting and admitted to leaving him “curled up on the sidewalk,” when he shot him. The friend later positively identified the person he spoke to as McDonald, who also matched the description of the shooter given by witnesses.
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Investigators were able to establish probable cause to arrest McDonald for attempting to commit premediated murder, but he wasn’t found right away.
An Ocala police officer conducted a traffic stop Wednesday and was able to identify the driver as McDonald.
He was booked into the Marion County jail on the attempted murder warrant, as well as warrants for burglary and aggravated stalking.
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McDonald is being held on no bond due to additional warrants for probation violations.
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