Wanted suspect caught during traffic stop

DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A man is in custody after deputies say he was wanted out of Bay County.

On Wednesday evening, Walton County Sheriff’s Office pulled over a car at the 76 gas station near Waffle House in DeFuniak Springs.

During the stop, deputies say they identified the driver as suspect Zachary Aaron Pascarella, 26, who was wanted for multiple charges in Bay County.

Shortly after the stop, officials say the suspect ran away into a nearby wooded area. A perimeter was reportedly established by Walton County Sheriff’s Office and Defuniak Springs Police. Walton Correctional Institution’s K-9 team also responded and tracked the suspect.

Pascarella was reportedly taken into custody, charged with six counts of simple battery, three counts of fleeing and eluding, three counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, and resisting with violence in Bay County. He’s also charged with resisting without violence in Walton County.