A career criminal who burgled a woman’s home and stole her car was apprehended by two heroic citizens who helped police catch the criminal after another attempted carjacking.
On the morning of Oct. 24, 39-year-old Michael Prouty was involved in the robbery of a 7-Eleven convenience store in Ocala, Florida, before breaking into a home on Ballesteros Drive, The Villages, and stealing the resident’s purse, cell phone, and a Cadillac from the garage.
The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) responded to a call at 7:24 a.m. where they learned there'd been a “brief struggle” with the suspect, according to a statement issued by SCSO. Later, Mr. Prouty was spotted driving the stolen Cadillac in Ocala. SCSO coordinated with the Ocala Police Department to locate the car and catch the criminal.
“I heard what sounded like a really loud crash,” Mr. Episcopo said in a video shared on Ocala PD’s Facebook page. “I looked over towards the gas station, there on the corner, and saw a Cadillac crashed into cars. ... I watched him get out of the car, then he was running towards me.”
Mr. Episcopo approached the suspect from behind a truck, where he couldn’t be seen. He recalled: “I said, ‘You’re not going anywhere ... and kind of pushed him up against the wall. He was bigger than me, so he kind of outmuscled me. ... I slowed him down and did the best I could.”
However, Mr. Prouty made a beeline for a Starbucks drive-thru and was attempting to carjack a female driver when the second heroic citizen, Shane Spicer, intervened. Mr. Spicer pulled Mr. Prouty from the vehicle before chasing and apprehending him up against a wall, allowing Sgt. Rodriguez and Sgt. Messenger from Ocala PD to handcuff him.
“We are proud of these two citizens for their heroic action, for helping our officers make the arrest, and for keeping our community safe,” Ocala Chief of Police Mike Balken said. “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!”
