Police body-cam video showed the mayhem during the arrest of a man that was aided in part by a bystander at a Starbucks coffee shop.
The Ocala Police Department said in a statement that 39-year-old Michael Prouty was accused of breaking into a woman’s home at The Villages, a retirement community near Ocala on Oct. 24. Prouty allegedly stole a purse, cellphone, and a Cadillac from her garage.
Later, an officer spotted Prouty driving the Cadillac in Ocala and attempted to pull him over, but he refused. He crashed the car into other vehicles in an intersection, and that’s when the first bystander jumped in to help.
“I heard what sounded like a really loud crash. I looked over towards the gas station there on the corner and saw a Cadillac crashed into cars on (U.S. Highway) 441,” said the man in a video to police.
He was able to grab Prouty and slow him down, but he broke away and ran to a Starbucks.
There at the drive-thru, Prouty tried to carjack a vehicle from a woman, which event was caught on the body-cam video.
A second bystander then jumped out of a car behind Prouty and got into his vehicle, forcing him to flee again. He then chased Prouty toward the back of the Starbucks, where he was able to tackle him and grapple with him until police were able to catch up.
Prouty was arrested and booked into the Marion County Jail. He was charged with fourteen counts, including fleeing and eluding and attempted carjacking. He will also face charges from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office for the robbery at The Villages.
The Ocala police chief praised both of the men as heroes.
“We are proud of these two citizens for their heroic action, for helping our officers make the arrest, and for keeping our community safe,” said Police Chief Mike Balken. “We would like to let these heroic citizens know that we are currently hiring police officers, and we invite them to apply to our agency!”
Additionally, police said that Prouty had been involved in the robbery of a 7-Eleven before the robbery at The Villages.
He has previous convictions for burglary and robbery charges.
Here’s the startling video of the incident:
Bodycam Shows Good Samaritans Stop Man Trying To Carjack Woman at Starbucks in Floridawww.youtube.com
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