(This story was updated to accurately reflect the most current information and to correct the spelling of Juliet’s first name.)
At 6:15 p.m. July 27 the Marion County Sheriff’s Office reported that Juliet Arioso, the subject of an earlier Amber Alert, had been located and is safe.
The agency later reported that the man accused of abducting her had been shot following a police chase. The man, Jason Castillo, 45, was taken to a hospital.
The Amber Alert was issued the evening of July 27 for the 13-year-old Marion County girl.
According to the sheriff’s office, authorities believe Juliet was abducted from her home between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. That home is in the Shady Road Villas, which is in the 9100 block of Southwest 27th Avenue in Ocala.
The suspect was identified as Castillo, who was believed to be driving a red 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies found Castillo driving and tried to stop him, but he fled. They eventually stopped his vehicle near U.S. 441 South and County Road 25A, using a PIT (Precision Immobilization Technique) move.
“As deputies attempted to apprehend Castillo, shots were fired. Castillo was transported to the hospital for treatment,” the sheriff’s office reported.
As of 7:30 p.m., law officers had closed down a portion of South U.S. 441 south of Belleview. Traffic was being detoured.
What is an Amber Alert?
An Amber Alert, or a child abduction emergency alert, is a message distributed by a child abduction alert system to ask the public for help in finding abducted children. AMBER is a backronym standing for “America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response.”
What should I do if I spot a missing child from an alert?
According to SafeTee, experts said that if you have found a lost child, take action and don’t hesitate to help. Once you walk up, introduce yourself and get on their level so they feel safe. Once the child is comfortable, and you might have asked a few questions about whether they’re OK, they suggest calling the authorities and alerting them that you found the child. It’s important not to move the child too far from where they were originally found.
What area does the alert cover?
The alert is activated to cover the areas requested by law enforcement agencies. If an alert is sent on a regional basis, it will cover several counties within that region. The alert can also be issued statewide, officials said.
If an alert is active in your area, it should appear on your phone automatically. You can also sign up for social media accounts that will notify you when an Amber Alert is issued:
On Facebook: Visit www.facebook.com/AMBERAlert and “Like” the page to receive Amber Alerts in your newsfeed. Facebook also automatically notifies users near the location of an Amber Alert.
On Instagram: If an Amber Alert is activated by law enforcement and you are in the designated search area, the alert will appear in your Instagram feed.
On Twitter: Follow @AMBERAlert to receive rapid Amber Alert notifications on your Twitter feed and share the alert with your followers.
Contributing: Benjamin Johnson, Pensacola News Journal and Austin L. Miller
(This story was updated to add a photo gallery.)
(This story was updated to add a video)
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Update: Suspect in Amber Alert case shot after police chase
Reporting by Ocala Star-Banner / Ocala Star-Banner
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ocala Star-Banner | USA TODAY Network
