K-9 apprehends one of four involved in auto theft

Saturday, Jan. 7

Dog bites thief

4:13 p.m., Second Street at North Lemon Avenue

Motor vehicle theft: Officers responded to a reported vehicle theft as a chase ensued when an officer spotted the vehicle traveling south on North Tamiami Trail. Once lights and sirens were activated, the chase moved into neighborhood streets and, after it came to a stop, four suspects got our and ran.  As the suspects entered tall grass, the dog bit one of them. The four surrendered. 

Sunday, Jan. 8

No dog danger

12:30 p.m., Lido Beach parking lot

Animal issue: A  dog left alone in a pickup truck prompted a call to law enforcement. The responding officer met with the caller who explained that the owner of the dog had since returned to her vehicle and that the dog was fine.  The officer then spoke to the owner of the dog who explained she briefly left her service dog while she used the public restroom. The dog appeared to be in good health and the officer determined that no crime occurred.

Bench brawl

4:29 p.m., Central Avenue at Five Points Park

Dispute: An argument between two men about a park bench escalated to death threats before police arrived. During the argument, the caller said the other man threatened to “shoot him with a gun.” He said he did not see a gun, but the other man made a motion toward his back pocket. Officers spoke to the other man, who did not have a gun and denied making the threat, though video taken by a bystander refuted his claim. Audio captured a threat that the man “had a bullet for him.” The caller said he was planning to leave soon on an out of state trip, and both parties left the scene without further incident.

Tuesday, Jan. 10

Trucking across county lines

5:30 p.m., Fruitville Road at South Beneva Road

Motor vehicle theft: An officer was notified at 1:55 a.m. of a complaint of a vehicle stolen in Sarasota several hours earlier and driven into Pinellas County. The officer contacted the complainant by phone who told police he was playing pool the prior evening when the mother of their two children dropped them off. She then called him 30 minutes later stating she took the estranged couple’s truck. 

The man drove another vehicle to the woman’s residence in Seminole and attempted to contact her, at which time deputies with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office were called and responded to the scene. The man told the Sarasota officer that he wanted to report the vehicle as stolen and explained the couple were going through a divorce. 

An examination of the vehicle's registration showed the truck was in both of their names and therefore cannot be reported as stolen.

Friday, Jan. 13

Tray tossing

9:29 a.m., 300 block of North Beneva Road

Dispute: A disgruntled customer tossing plastic food trays around a fast food restaurant brought police to the establishment where an officer made contact with the manager who said an unknown man approached the counter to place a food order. The manager said he explained the restaurant was not open for indoor food service at the time, at which point the tray flinging ensued. The manager provided a description of the offender plus the make, model and license plate number of his vehicle. No damage was reported.