A 15-year-old boy was arrested in Ocala after he admitted to burglarizing multiple vehicles, vandalizing a law enforcement officer’s patrol car, and fleeing in a pickup truck that was reported stolen.
According to a social media post from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, on July 28, 2022, a K-9 corporal located a red Ford pickup truck that was traveling in the 5200 block of SW Highway 200. A computer check of the truck revealed that it was reported stolen out of Gainesville.
The corporal attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver refused to stop and a pursuit was initiated. The MCSO Air-1 unit tracked the stolen truck until it stopped in a vacant lot in the 700 block of SW 1st Avenue in downtown Ocala.
The driver then attempted to flee on foot and refused verbal commands to stop. The corporal successfully utilized a K-9 partner, K-9 Leo, to apprehend the driver.
MCSO indicated that the driver dropped a backpack during the foot chase. Inside the backpack, MCSO found ammunition and a Glock 22 handgun that was also reported stolen from Gainesville.
During an interview, the driver stated that he was driving around areas in Ocala with a friend to “carhop.” According to MCSO, carhopping refers to the practice of burglarizing multiple vehicles in a neighborhood or other area.
The driver told investigators that he smashed car windows and stole items. He also admitted to vandalizing a patrol vehicle that belonged to an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
The driver was identified as a 15-year-old boy, and he is facing the following charges: five counts of armed burglary, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, three counts of petit theft, two counts of grand theft of a motor vehicle, fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, and possession of a firearm by a person under the age of 18.
On its Facebook webpage, MCSO stated, “Parents, please know who your children are hanging out with, know where they are going, and give them a curfew. Nothing good is happening for a 15-year-old at 1:30 in the morning.”