NO DIRECTION IN LIFE: A Tampa woman was walking north on Westshore Boulevard on her way to work. As she passed the Shell gas station on the east side of the street (just north of Kennedy Boulevard) an unknown man approached. The woman told the man that she had no time to talk and had to get to work. The man then asked the woman if she could tell him where Westshore Mall was. Per the report, "The victim pointed across the street at the mall and said 'It's right there.'" The man replied, "I'm not trying to stop you," and headed across the street toward the mall. After a few more steps, the man re-crossed the street back toward the victim, approached her again and stated, "I want your purse." The woman responded "No you don't!" at which point the man grabbed the purse and made a break for it. The victim gave chase until she lost sight of the man somewhere in the Sears parking lot.
WHO GIVES A SPIT? A woman who lives on 14th Street in Tampa decided to do some shopping. Unfortunately for her, when she left home she left the door unlocked. Upon returning from the store, a neighbor informed her that they had seen a local juvenile exiting her home a few moments earlier. The victim confronted the juvenile who confessed that he had been in the home. A simple burglary? Nope. Per the incident report: "While inside the residence the Def[endant] spit in several food items in the victim's refrigerator and on food she has out on a table." The cops list the "damage to the victim's food items" at about $10.
QUICK CASH: Everyone wants to make a fast buck, but sometimes you get caught just spinning your wheels. The suspect in this case thought that he had a great plan for doing just that. At 10:21 a.m. on a Friday in June, the suspect took a bicycle from a yard on Henry Street in Tampa. The man quickly fled the scene and headed for Value Pawnshop on Hillsborough Avenue, where at 10:34 a.m. he pawned the bike. Unfortunately for the suspect, he wasn't fast enough. Upon leaving the pawn shop he was spotted by officers and was taken into custody without incident. A warrant check revealed the suspect had a felony warrant for his arrest in Missouri, and his short bike ride has earned him a much longer trip far out of town.
From the files of the T.P.D.
