Alex Thomas
July 17 was a rough day for 20-year-old Aaron Rodriguez III, who couldn’t find a ride home and decided to steal a car that he noticed was running. Unfortunately for Rodriguez, the car that he tried to break into was a cop car. Not only that, there was also a cop inside.
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TC Palm reports that the botched theft took place around 5 a.m. Officer Robie Troutman was inside the car and wrote in a report “I heard the rear passenger side door handle make noise and then the front passenger side door handle make noise, where I was positioned seated in the driver seat of my clearly marked Fort Pierce Police Department Patrol vehicle.”
When he realized the officer was inside, Rodriguez fled and tried to hide behind another vehicle.
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Two officers quickly apprehended the suspect and discovered $20, two cell phones and a pipe with marijuana residue. He told the police that he was trying to steal the black-and-white “so he had a ride home.” The incident unfolded in Fort Piece, Florida, just north of Palm Beach.
He was arrested on drug charges, prowling and attempted grand theft of a vehicle.
