BRADENTON, Fla. — The man accused of going on the run after shooting a coworker and kidnapping another at the Tropicana plant in Bradenton in 2023 was arrested on Tuesday, according to the Bradenton Police Department.
Authorities say on June 5, Demetrius Bell, 51, went to the Tropicana plant after his scheduled shift and shot his male coworker.
He then reportedly forced another female coworker to leave with him, but she was released in Hillsborough County two days later. Police say Bell has been on the run since.
On Monday, the department's Crime Reduction Team received new information that Bell was back in the Bradenton area, police said.
Once he was found, police say he ran from officers but was later found clinging to the roof of a storage facility in the area of Manatee Avenue East and Dunwurken Lane.
Bradenton police say they received assistance from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit, The Manatee County Sheriff's Office and the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit to find Bell.
Bell now faces multiple charges including aggravated battery with a firearm, armed kidnapping and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Bradenton police said the investigation into this incident is still ongoing and that Bell may face new charges.