THESE KIDS TODAY: Tampa police officers stopped four juveniles just after midnight walking southbound on 36th street north of East McBerry Street. The officers immediately sensed the kids were up to no good when one of the suspects threw an object to the ground upon the officers' approach. Talking to the kids "failed to dispel concerns about what they were doing walking the streets at this late hour on a school night." What concerns? The kids were carrying gloves, and when asked about them, they said their hands were cold. Of course, "none had the gloves on or were wearing jackets." They also had a screwdriver (which they had tried to ditch before the cops approached), and had no good reason for being out on the street. Oh, and that object one of the boys threw to the ground? That was a semi-automatic weapon. The officers decided to arrest the kids, who later stated they intended to steal a Dodge Ram pickup and some motorbikes in the area.
MOTORIN': Speaking of Dodge Ram pickups and motorbikes, on Jan. 21st two men were videotaped by a surveillance camera at Extreme Fitness poking around the parking lot at Lime Restaurant, across from the gym on Howard Avenue. The men were seen pulling their Ford F250 truck up to a parked Dodge Ram pickup before leaving the area. Less than 10 minutes later, the two men returned and were seen breaking into the Dodge and removing a 2007 Yamaha 450cc motorcycle from the bed of the truck. The two men moved the bike to a nearby alley where they loaded it onto their Ford before being chased from the area by witnesses. Despite the clean getaway, these two crooks weren't too bright about lying low. The next evening, two officers spotted one of the suspects trying to start the stolen motorcycle inside a city park at 18th avenue and 31st street. After a brief foot chase the man was arrested.
INCIDENTALLY: Shortly after the motorcycle in the previous case was stolen, officers looking for the bike in the area of Central Park stumbled upon an unrelated pair of suspects who were riding around on an unrelated stolen motorbike. (In this case, a black 2007 motor scooter valued at $2000.) The officers pulled the suspects over and arrested them without incident.
From the files of the T.P.D. To comment on this story, go to tampa.creativeloafing.com.
This article appears in Feb 14-20, 2007.
