Current:Home > ContactVideo shows Army veteran stopping suspect from jacking pregnant woman's car at a Florida Starbucks -FutureFinance
Video shows Army veteran stopping suspect from jacking pregnant woman's car at a Florida Starbucks
EchoSense View
Date:2025-04-08 04:14:29
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! (768)
Related
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- Mountaintop Mining Is Destroying More Land for Less Coal, Study Finds
- Matty Healy Leaves a Blank Space on Where He Stands With Taylor Swift
- Antarctic Ocean Reveals New Signs of Rapid Melt of Ancient Ice, Clues About Future Sea Level Rise
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Meet Noor Alfallah: Everything We Know About Al Pacino's Pregnant Girlfriend
- Megan Thee Stallion and Soccer Star Romelu Lukaku Spark Romance Rumors With Sweetest PDA
- Ireland Set to Divest from Fossil Fuels, First Country in Global Climate Campaign
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Yes, Kieran Culkin Really Wore a $7 Kids' Shirt in the Succession Finale
Ranking
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Life on an Urban Oil Field
- Alex Rodriguez Shares Gum Disease Diagnosis
- Justin Timberlake Is Thirsting Over Jessica Biel’s Iconic Summer Catch Scene Too
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- For the intersex community, 'Every Body' exists on a spectrum
- Get $150 Worth of Clean Beauty Products for Just $36: Peter Thomas Roth, Elemis, Osea, and More
- 17 Vacation Must-Haves Under $50 From UnSun Cosmetics, Sunnylife, Viski & More
Recommendation
NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
National Governments Are Failing on Clean Energy in All but 3 Areas, IEA says
3 dead, 5 wounded in Kansas City, Missouri, shooting
New federal rules will limit miners' exposure to deadly disease-causing dust
New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
Kinder Morgan Cancels Fracked Liquids Pipeline Plan, and Pursues Another
Delaware State Sen. Sarah McBride launches bid to become first openly trans member of Congress
The Dropout’s Amanda Seyfried Reacts to Elizabeth Holmes Beginning 11-Year Prison Sentence