CCPD: Pair tries to dump stolen car near police officer in patrol vehicle

Published:
Mugshot of Dylan Espinoza. Photo via LCSO.
Mugshot of Dylan Espinoza. Photo via LCSO.

Cape Coral Police apprehended a Leesburg, Indiana, man who is suspected of stealing a vehicle.

Dylan Espinoza, 22, has been arrested for Motor Vehicle Theft and Resisting Arrest Without Violence Wednesday around 4 a.m.

Espinoza and another man pulled into a Cape Coral Seven Eleven at the 700 block of Burnt Store Rd. N., parking the vehicle and shutting off the lights. The pair walked into the convenience store, then walked back to the car where they retrieved items from inside, including backpacks, according to a CCPD press release.

Officer I. Ross approached the men in his marked CCPD patrol vehicle. The pair immediately dashed away, running through an open field. Ross caught and detained Espinoza, but the other man evaded capture.

An officer later went to the home of the registered owners of the vehicle, since it was not reported stolen, per the press. The victim was not aware of the theft, having last seen it near midnight. He said the vehicle was left unlocked with the keys inside.

An investigation is ongoing in identifying and locating the second suspect.

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