Cops Corner: Sarasota 10.29.19

Oct. 26

BUYER BEWARE
​11:54 a.m. — 3500 block of North Tamiami Trail
Dispute: A customer entering a store said a group of four children approached him and asked him to buy them items from the business. When the customer refused, he said the children became extremely agitated and began harassing him. The customer said he was not in any fear of harm but contacted the police because he thought what the kids were doing was wrong. An employee at a store in the area also reported the children were trying to get customers to buy them items. When the employee went out to confront them, he said they began throwing candy at the business before leaving on foot.

HOT WHEELS
3 p.m. — 1000 block of Siesta Drive
Property damage: A man parked his car in a public park’s lot. About 30 minutes later, he noticed his car was smoking. When the man moved his car, he discovered he had accidentally parked over someone’s used charcoal from a grill. An unknown party had been grilling in the area and disposed of the burnt coals in the parking lot. The man said the coals were gray and blended in with the gravel in the parking lot. The coals were still hot and melted components under the man’s car, but the vehicle was still drivable. Officers were unable to locate the person or people who had used the grill.

THROW A WRENCH
8:50 p.m. — 1500 block of Main Street
Property damage: A driver was entering a roundabout and said another vehicle did not yield, which caused the driver to have to hit the brakes to avoid crashing. The driver honked at the other vehicle, at which point the other motorist threw a socket wrench at the driver’s car, which hit near the driver-side door. The driver followed the other vehicle for several blocks before calling the police.

Oct. 27

WINDSHIELD WIPED OUT
12:30 a.m. — 1700 block of Siesta Drive
Property damage: A man reported someone broke out his car’s back window. The man said he was driving down the street while his friend in the passenger’s seat was yelling things at random people. The man said some of the people he yelled at began to follow them in a white vehicle. When the vehicle caught up to them, the man heard a loud bang, at which point the vehicle did a U-turn and left the area. The man then realized the back window had been shattered. The man did not see anything in his car to indicate what broke the window.