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MARION COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — For one Ocala man, Monday’s AMBER Alert became more than just a tone. It was a moment to help.
“It’s not just a notification; it’s ultimately a child’s second chance,” Daniel Cosby said. “I pulled out of the gas station and stopped at the red light right there next to it, and I was right behind the vehicle.”
The car he was behind is the one investigators said Jason Castillo, 45, was driving on Monday. Castillo was accused of abducting a 13-year-old girl from her home in Ocala before 2 p.m.
That AMBER Alert was issued after 5 p.m. to help law enforcement track him down. Cosby said he realized he was behind Castillo because of the license plate.
“I read the license plate, and then cross-referenced it over to the AMBER Alert,” Cosby said. “I’m like, ‘I have the vehicle,’ and so I immediately got 911 on the phone, and it just happened so quick.”
In a video posted to social media on Tuesday, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods credited a citizen and license plate readers as the reason Castillo was found so quickly.
“This girl was rescued because of an LPR and a citizen combined together,” the sheriff said in that video.
Deputies used a P.I.T. maneuver to stop Castillo in his car, and then dash camera video shows Castillo pulling a gun. Nine law enforcement officials shot him. He later died in the hospital.
“I was able to keep eye contact,” Cosby said. “I told dispatch exactly what was going on. Let officers take over, and ultimately, that child is home safe.”
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