Current:Home > ScamsVideo shows Army veteran stopping suspect from jacking pregnant woman's car at a Florida Starbucks -Summit Capital Strategies
Video shows Army veteran stopping suspect from jacking pregnant woman's car at a Florida Starbucks
Ethermac Exchange View
Date:2025-04-08 08:54:11
One accused carjacker chose the wrong Starbucks drive-thru to target.
Dashcam footage released late last month shows the end of a police chase in Ocala, Florida, in which suspect Michael Prouty, 39, was being pursued after he allegedly broke into a local resident's house and stole their purse, cell phone and Cadilliac car, according to police.
Following a short chase in which the Prouty allegedly damaged several other cars in the stolen vehicle, he crashed at an intersection and took off on foot, approaching cars sitting in a nearby Starbucks drive-thru.
This is where Army veteran Shane Spicer first laid eyes on the suspect.
Spicer told local affiliate FOX 35 Orlando that he was barely awake and waiting in line for his coffee fix when he saw the crash and subsequent foot chase unfold. It was then that Spicer said he saw Prouty forcing his way into another car lined up in the drive-thru.
"(He was) sprinting up to Starbucks, and he didn’t look like a Starbucks coffee drinker," Spicer told Fox 35. "Then he yanked the girl out of the car. And just kind of an instinctive, kind of reactionary thing."
March for Isreal livestream:'March for Israel' rally livestream: Supporters gather in Washington DC
Footage shows moment would-be carjacker is foiled
The released dashcam footage shows Prouty trying to enter a woman's vehicle from the driver's side in what police said was an attempted carjacking. Multiple outlets have since reported that the woman driving the car was also pregnant at the time.
Spicer can then be seen exiting his own vehicle and sprinting over to intervene, getting into the passenger side of the would-be victim's car to fight Prouty off. Bodycam footage from one of the arresting officers then shows Spicer chasing Prouty down and holding him until police are able to catch up and make the arrest.
In a press release, Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken also acknowledged another good Samaritan, Tom Episcopo, who he said slowed Prouty down earlier in the chase.
"We are proud of these two citizens for their heroic action, for helping our officers make the arrest, and for keeping our community safe," Chief Balken shared.
According to the release, Prouty has a lengthy criminal history and is facing multiple charges. Ocala police charged Prouty with fleeing and eluding, attempted carjacking, crash involving injuries, and resisting arrest, while authorities in Sumter County, where he stole the original vehicle, are charging him with home invasion, battery on a person over 65, and grand theft of a vehicle.
"I feel like if you’ve got the ability to watch out for someone, that you should," Spicer told Fox 35. "I would just hope that someone would do the same for my family."
Man crashes into deputies in wild video:Video shows man crashing car into Florida sheriff's deputies, injuring 2
veryGood! (45235)
Related
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- A lawsuit seeks to block Louisiana’s new congressional map that has 2nd mostly Black district
- A Tennessee teen has pleaded guilty in the slaying of a prominent United Methodist Church leader
- Bruce Springsteen’s mother Adele Springsteen, a fan favorite who danced at his shows, dies at 98
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- Prison gang leader in Mississippi gets 20 years for racketeering conspiracy
- New Hampshire school worker is charged with assaulting 7-year-olds, weeks after similar incident
- Biden signs order approving sanctions for Israeli settlers who attacked Palestinians in the West Bank
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- After Washington state lawsuit, Providence health system erases or refunds $158M in medical bills
Ranking
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Mobsters stole a historical painting from a family; 54 years later the FBI brought it home
- Georgia Senate passes sports betting bill, but odds dim with as constitutional amendment required
- Florida Senate sends messages to Washington on budget, foreign policy, term limits
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Capitol Police close investigation into Senate sex tape: No evidence that a crime was committed
- Georgia restricts Fulton County’s access to voter registration system after cyber intrusion
- Lawmakers move to help veterans at risk of losing their homes
Recommendation
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Meta posts sharp profit, revenue increase in Q4 thanks to cost cuts and advertising rebound
Annette Bening named Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year
Investigation into killings of 19 burros in Southern California desert hits possible breakthrough
Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
Teen falls to his death while taking photos at Utah canyon overlook
Halle Bailey Reveals How She and Boyfriend DDG Picked Baby's Name
Fun. Friendship. International closeness. NFL's flag football championships come to USA.