August 6 – Florida Man Rents U-Haul, Robs Boost Mobile Store and Hits Police Car

After a previous arrest for carjacking, a Florida man has made a few more bad decisions. The unnamed 26 year old chose to steal a U-Haul truck and take it to a Boost Mobile store where he robbed the store and took the purses of employees before speeding off, only to be involved in a high-speed chase.

While robbing the store, the thief kept his hand in his pocket and claimed to have a gun. Because store workers had no way of knowing whether or not the robber was armed, store employees stayed safe and assumed the thief was armed.

The report doesn’t offer information about what was in the truck, but it does seem concerning that someone who wanted a getaway car would steal a U-Haul truck for such a purpose. Utilitarian rental trucks are not famous for their speed or nimble handling.

After speeding away from the Boost Mobile store, the driver of the U-Haul truck struck a police vehicle. The SUV handled the strike well, but the officer was taken to the hospital for an assessment.

Because the SUV strike forced the U-Haul truck across two lanes of oncoming traffic before it landed in a parking lot, it’s important to note that this crash could have been much worse. The two lanes that the truck had to cross before were empty thanks to the determined efforts of the police department of West Palm Beach, Florida. Had that intersection been full of other drivers, many other people would have been at risk.

The driver was stopped, caught and arrested. He was charged with fleeing and eluding, battery on an officer, resisting arrest, and robbery. The police officer who was struck in the accident has been treated and released by medical professionals.

See Also:

• Florida Man Calendar – August 5
• Florida Man Docket – August 4
• Florida Man Files – August 3

August 6 – Florida Woman Found Safely Locked In Shipping Corner

When Marlene Lopez didn’t pick up her son, her concerned co-worker reached out to the police to report her missing. Through a series of errors, it turned out that she was locked into a shipping container that was being used for storage for a local business. The owner of the shipping container, Tyler Sonnenberg, found it open and locked it, locking Lopez inside it.

Indications are that neither Lopez nor Sonnenberg were at fault for the end result, which was that Lopez was missing for more than 36 hours. It’s also assumed that she suffered no lasting health risks during her time locked in the shipping container.

However, police are still investigating exactly how Lopez ended up in the container. There are also concerns that remain regarding the safety of the child during the time his mom was missing. Concerns regarding the reason the shipping container was left open are also still being reviewed.