A Gainesville man was caught stealing from a truck after he stole from a Gainesville Police patrol car Thursday, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said.
A 911 caller said they saw Luis Anthony Velez, 19, inside a parked GPD patrol car at the Reserves at Kanapaha, located at 4440 SW Archer Road, at about 2:39 a.m., according to an arrest report.
The witness said he was wearing red shorts and a black Puma jacket, according to an ACSO Facebook post.
When an ACSO deputy arrived, Velez, matching the description the witness gave, was sitting in the driver’s seat of a gray Ford truck that did not belong to him, according to the report. The truck’s owner said he didn’t have permission to be inside his truck.
The owner also said his center console was previously closed, but after Velez was found in it, the console was open and items that were inside were missing, according to an arrest report.
ACSO said Velez could not explain why he was there, even though he had a trespass warning.
Deputies found a GPD-issued camera, which was taken from the patrol car, on the truck Velez was found in, according to the post.
Police arrested Velez on charges of burglary, theft of law enforcement equipment and trespassing. Authorities took him to Alachua County Jail where he remains, as of press time, in lieu of a $70,000 bond.
@merylkornfield
mkornfield@alligator.org
