ORLANDO, Fla. – An incident that began with a store burglary in the Tampa Bay area ended at an Orlando apartment complex after more than an hourlong, multi county pursuit but the accused burglars are still at large, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Hernando County sheriff deputies responded to burglary call at a Target store and arrived at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday but the robbers had already left the scene.
Recommended Videos
A witness described getaway vehicle as a stolen BMW SUV, according to the sheriff’s office.
Hernando County authorities notified the Florida Highway Patrol at 2:45 a.m. about the stolen vehicle used in the burglary, FHP said.
A state trooper spotted the vehicle on State Road 50 and attempted to make a traffic stop, but the driver did not stop and the trooper followed the BMW onto north I-75 and then onto the Florida Turnpike, according to FHP.
The driver of the BMW got on State Road 408 in Orlando before pulling into the Windsor Cove Apartment complex on Mercy Drive, FHP Sgt. Steve Gaskins said.
Subscribe to ClickOrlando breaking news alerts and email notifications here.
Several passengers and the driver fled on foot, Gaskins said. FHP and Orlando police were unable to make any arrests.
Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said “quite a bit of merchandise” was stolen from the store, most of which was recovered from the vehicle.
Nienhuis said the burglary was similar to others in the Tampa Bay and Central Florida areas and the sheriff’s office believes they are related.
“These are true criminals,” Nienhuis said.
The Sheriff’s Office will review surveillance video from Target. Authorities did not release a description on the individuals iaccused in the burglary.
Anyone with information is asked to call Central Florida Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS or Tampa Bay Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS.
