A 93-year-old woman was slightly hurt after she was carjacked and dragged at her DeLand church Thursday morning.

  • 93-year-old woman carjacked in church parking lot
  • She was slightly hurt when she was dragged trying to stop it
  • 2 men arrested after crashing woman's car

Two men — David Leo Perkins III, 21, and Darius Matthews, 20 — were taken into custody after a short police chase.

Marquita Steinmetz was carjacked at about 8:15 a.m. in the parking lot of St. Peter's Catholic Church on New York Avenue, according to city of DeLand spokesperson Chris Graham.

Police said in a news conference that the two men grabbed the woman's keys and took her four-door Chrysler, dragging her about 20 feet until she couldn't hang on any more.

"It's disturbing on a lot of levels. Thankfully, we were able to apprehend these folks and thankfully she was not seriously injured," DeLand Police Chief Jason Umberger said.

There was a quick, 30-second pursuit. The car then went off the road, crashed into some trees off of South High Street and West Winnemissett Avenue, and the men fled, investigators said.

After she was dragged, the woman was treated at the scene for scrapes, cuts and bruises.

"We pray for all those involved in the situation," church spokeswoman Jennifer Drow said in a statement.


David Leo Perkins III (left) and Darius Matthews are accused in the Thursday, July 20, 2017 carjacking of a woman at a DeLand church. (Volusia County Corrections)