Deputies in Marion County are being credited with saving a man called "Gold Teeth" from a burning vehicle after he crashed during a high-speed pursuit.

  • Sheriff's Office received tip about possible home invasion-robbery
  • Deputy spotted suspected white van, initiated pursuit
  • White van crashed; deputies pulled driver from burning vehicle

On Sunday morning, the Sheriff's Office received a tip that a man known as "Gold Teeth" was headed to a home in Summerfield in a white Dodge van to rob a home, the agency said.

Deputies spotted the suspect vehicle and the driver, later identified as Scott Michael Beekman, 28, in the parking lot of a convenience store at SE Highway 47th Avenue and Highway 484, they said.

They tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the white van fled. Beekman led deputies on a pursuit on SE Highway 484 and Highway 467, the Sheriff's Office said. At one point, a motorist attempted to block the van with his vehicle, but Beekman was able to evade and continue fleeing.

At the 13000 block of SE Highway 467, a deputy's dashboard camera captures Beekman's van swerving abruptly, striking a stop sign and tree, overturning and coming to rest on the driver’s side.

The overturned van caught fire with Beekman trapped inside. In the video, deputies are seen carefully approaching the vehicle with guns drawn. They are able to break the front window and pull out Beekman.

Inside the van, deputies said they later found a shotgun, pistol and a rifle near the driver's seat. Beekman is a convicted felon and also had a suspended license.

Beekman, who is seen in the video with gold teeth, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. He faces multiple charges, including fleeing with disregard to safety of person or property and possession of a weapon or ammo by a convicted felon.

“The deputies involved in the search, the pursuit and the rescue of this suspect performed their duties valiantly,” Sheriff Billy Woods said. “They not only prevented what could have been a major crime, but they also saved this individual’s life despite the danger involved.”


(Marion County Sheriff's Office Facebook page)