COPS CORNER 9.18.17

WINTER GARDEN

Sept. 11, 13700 block of West Colonial Drive. At approximately 5:05 p.m., a man traveling in a black Dodge Ram on West Colonial Drive seemingly grew upset when a car in front of him drove too slow for his liking. The male driver positioned his truck next to the slow car and pointed a handgun at the other driver in the other car, which had two children and five adults. The man then pulled into a nearby gas station. Dispatch sent police officers to the gas station and an officer parked behind the suspect vehicle, but the windows were too tinted to any subjects inside. As soon as the officer exited his vehicle, the Dodge Ram started moving forward slowly and turned to the right. Seconds later, the driver’s door opened while the vehicle was still in motion and the suspect fled on foot. Surrounding officers commanded the man to stop, but he did not heed their orders and ran toward a CVS pharmacy, behind the Culver’s Restaurant and into an open field. Shortly after, the man was located and arrested. The man was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, reckless display of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, resisting an officer without violence and tampering with physical evidence. Officers were unable to locate the handgun allegedly used in the assault.

OCOEE

Sept. 15, 10500 block of West Colonial Drive. Around 6:25 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a department store in reference to a possible retail theft in progress. According to one of the store’s asset protection associates, a woman shopping through the store appeared to be repeatedly looking down at a receipt as she selected items from the display shelves. This is a behavior common to retail theft in which a suspect attempts to “return” merchandise that had been previously paid for in a prior purchase or, alternatively, passes off stolen merchandise as having been previously bought. According to an arrest report, the woman allegedly attempted to pass off the items she selected as having been previously paid for. The suspected thief was observed entering the line for customer service and then leaving the line shortly after before exiting the store. Upon her exit, the woman was stopped and questioned. The woman explained she planned to return the items in her possession, but the line was too long. Upon further questioning, the woman stated she had made a mistake and explained the receipt was from a previous purchase made the day before but she had intended to walk out of the store without purchasing the new merchandise, which totaled $66 in value and consisted of children’s puzzles, children’s clothing and school supplies. The woman was charged with petit theft and trespassed from the store.

OAKLAND

Sept. 15, 16000 block of West Colonial Drive. At approximately 12:35 a.m., two police officers on patrol spotted a vehicle backing out from behind a business, which came off as suspicious as the business was closed and it was late at night. The officers conducted a traffic stop and ordered all the occupants to lie on the ground until the vehicle was cleared. Upon questioning one of the occupants, it was discovered that the people in the car bought $600 worth of marijuana and had parked behind the business to smoke it all. Upon noticing the officers, the occupants threw out their bags of marijuana in a nearby grassy area and attempted to flee. The officers located and retrieved the plastic bags containing marijuana, which totaled 110 grams.