Cops Corner

Neighbor shines a light on a nearby party

A man shining his headlights in an attempt to disrupt a nuisance outdoor party ends up with a dent from a beer bottle. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.


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  • | 5:00 a.m. April 24, 2024
  • Sarasota
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Saturday, April 13

Woman jumps from moving car

2:23 a.m., First Street at Lemon Avenue

Dispute: An anonymous bystander called law enforcement when observing a woman bail out of a moving car in a roundabout, and then was assisted back into the vehicle by the driver, who was later determined to be the woman’s boyfriend.

An officer made contact with the man who was sitting in the vehicle with the woman. He said he had picked her up in downtown and was heading home when he noticed her texting another man. A verbal altercation ensued after he turned around with plans to drop her off at the pickup location. The woman asked to be let out of the car after the man told her he was returning her to her friends’ custody as she was intoxicated.

That’s when she opened the door and exited the vehicle as it was moving through a roundabout. It was determined that no crime occurred and both parties left the area without incident.


Protester breaks windshield

6:27 p.m., Bayfront Drive near North Tamiami Trail

Disturbance: While observing what was described as a “medium-sized Palestinian protest” an officer heard an altercation occur in the intersection. An unknown male driver said that while stopped in traffic protestors walked around his car and someone struck his windshield, causing it to crack. The man did not know who caused the damage.

The officer made several attempts to gather pertinent information, but the subject refused to provide details and continued yelling. The man was instructed to move his vehicle out of the roadway to continue to investigate the incident. 

The male subject and his wife then entered the car and drove to an unknown location. Officers waited for approximately 30 minutes for the them to return, but they never did. There were no other incidents during the protest, which was observed for longer than an hour in several locations.


Blinded by the light

10:36 p.m., Gillespie Avenue

Dispute: Vehicle headlights purposefully shining in the direction of an outdoor party led to an altercation between neighbors, leaving a dent in the side of the vehicle. The incident was the culmination of a long-running dispute between the two men. 

While one man was holding a small party on his property the neighbor, perhaps agitated by the activity, parked a vehicle in the direction of the frisky fiesta, illuminating the activity in an unwelcome fashion and refusing requests to cease and desist. That prompted the host to pick up a glass Modelo bottle and throw it at the vehicle during the verbal altercation. An officer interviewed the vehicle owner who advised the bottle tosser could be identified by his shirtless attire.

The officer located the party host, who was indeed shirtless. He admitted to throwing the bottle at the vehicle in frustration. Contact was made with the perpetrator’s friend who confirmed the series of events, adding that there had been ongoing issues between the two men. The subject was issued a notice to appear in court on a charge of criminal mischief in lieu of physical arrest.


Sunday, April 14

Dog duty derelict

1:30 p.m., 1500 block of Pompano Avenue

Dispute: Hearing a loud argument, a neighbor called law enforcement to investigate what was believed to be a physical altercation, later determined to be only verbal in nature. The two men involved live in the same house and were arguing over an unfed dog. 

Officers spoke with the renter of the house, who stated that his friend and now roommate had lost his home a few months ago, so he offered to live with him temporarily. He advised the man is now refusing to leave and they are not particularly compatible. 

What precipitated the altercation, he told the officer, is that he had asked the sofa surfer to watch his dog the night prior and feed it in the morning. The man did not feed the dog, and the argument, likely fueled by pent-up frustration, ensued.

An officer advised the renter of the home of the civil eviction process and no further action was warranted.

 

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