WINDERMERE, Fla. – Two juveniles taken into custody by Windermere police are accused of attempting to break into multiple vehicles early Sunday, with one of them managing to steal a pickup truck and ram patrol vehicles with it, according to the chief.
It happened around 4 a.m. as two officers patrolling near Lake Butler Boulevard saw two “suspicious males” who ran away in different directions while being approached, Windermere police Chief Dave Ogden said in a statement.
Additional units from Ocoee — as well as K-9 officers and an Orange County Sheriff’s Office helicopter — were asked to help form a perimeter, the statement reads. On Lake Butler Boulevard, one of the suspects entered an unlocked pickup truck with the keys still inside and tried to drive away, yet he was trapped at a dead end, the chief said.
The driver then allegedly used the pickup to ram a Windermere patrol vehicle and an Ocoee Police Department patrol vehicle before becoming stuck and getting arrested, the statement reads.
Following an unsuccessful search for the second suspect, they were later located and taken into custody without incident, according to Ogden.
The stolen pickup truck was recovered, as well as “possible stolen property linked to cases in Orange County’s jurisdiction,” the statement reads. Investigators otherwise confirmed the suspects tried to enter multiple vehicles along Lake Butler Boulevard, the chief said.
No officers or community members were injured. The Windermere and Ocoee PD vehicles sustained minor damage.
The case remains ongoing, and charges are pending. The Windermere Police Department thanks the Ocoee Police Department and all supporting units for their assistance in safely resolving this incident.
Chief Dave Ogden (excerpt)
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