Man locates his stolen vehicle, shoots at car thief

A car thief stole an old Lynx bus and drove it to The Promenade apartments before stealing a white pickup truck from a male resident.

Upon hearing his truck start up, the car thief victim told his wife to contact the police and took his wife's car in an attempt to locate his stolen vehicle. His search produced the sight of his stolen truck sitting at a stoplight on the intersection of Daniels Road and Colonial Drive. 

"He pulled his wife's vehicle in front of his truck to try and keep the suspect from leaving, the suspect then rammed the victim's other vehicle in an attempt to get away," said Lt. Scott Allen from the Winter Garden Police Department. "When he was unable to get away, he put it in reverse."

However, as the suspect started backing up, Lt. Allen explained, the man, presumably fearful for his life, then loaded his firearm and began shooting at the suspect in the truck. The suspect drove over the shrubs on Daniels Road next to the McDonalds, hit two vehicles in the parking lot, broke a main water line and damaged a CenturyLink control box.

The suspect then exited the vehicle and fled on foot. The suspect, who is described as a short, skinny black male, remains at large. WGPD is currently working to identify and locate the suspect.

Winter Garden police are unsure if the car thief was shot, and Lt. Allen said no evidence was found at the scene that suggests the suspect was hit. The victim received minor injuries from the accident and was transported to the hospital. He has since been released.

The incident resulted in the temporary closure of Daniels Road and Colonial Drive, but both roads reopened at 8:30 a.m.

WGPD requests anyone with information about the possible whereabouts of the suspect contact crimeline or the department at (407) 656-3636.

–––

Contact Gabby Baquero at [email protected]