A shirtless Florida man managed to steal a police cruiser before flashing down a woman in an SUV and stealing her vehicle while she thought he was a cop.
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It sounds like an impossible course of events, but the incident occurred in December, and a police sergeant caught everything on bodycam. Multiple news outlets, including WPLG, recently released the footage. Video from an officer's bodycam shows him chasing a shirtless suspect, Armando Lopez, 52, as he runs to the police car parked in the road.
The officer attempts to use a taser on Lopez, but he seems unfazed and jumps into the driver's seat. As the patrol car speeds away, the officer reports, "He stole my patrol car! He's running northbound; the lights are on. He tried to take my gun from my holster."
The Suspect Carjacks an SUV In An Attempt To Escape
The patrol car's dashcam records Lopez's actions inside the vehicle. He belts through Key Largo before stopping by a red SUV. The WLPG report alleges the driver of the SUV likely thought Lopez was a police officer and pulled over. He approaches the car door and takes the vehicle. Police eventually apprehend Lopez after a crash that flips the SUV onto its roof.
Per a report by the New York Post, Lopez allegedly tried to kill his ex-girlfriend during an argument before the officer with the bodycam showed up. In a call to 911 from the residence, the dispatcher asks for the address, and the caller, a young girl, responds, "My dad is in my house. He's hitting my mom to death."
WPLG explains that the officer was punched and pushed and is expected to be fine, but Lopez's ex-girlfriend took the brunt of the punishment. She allegedly suffered broken bones and lacerations, and bodycam footage showed that she was badly injured before running away from the house with her child.
According to Local 10, Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said the incident was a "reminder of the dangers law enforcement officers routinely face while simply doing their jobs." Lopez remains in an MCSO jail where authorities are holding him without bond. He reportedly faces a long list of charges, including impersonating a police officer.
