KEY POINTS
- A 52-year-old Florida man was arrested for stealing a pickup truck and other items from an auto sales shop in Boynton Beach
- He allegedly stole around $36,000 worth of property, including keys to 60 cars, tools, laptops and a TV
- The suspect was caught after crashing the stolen truck into an office building
A 52-year-old man who allegedly stole the keys to 60 cars at an auto sales shop in Boynton Beach, Florida, before fleeing in a stolen pickup truck has been arrested.
Police responded Friday to a burglary report at LG Auto Sales located at 724 N. Federal Highway where the suspect, identified as Gino Puglisi, allegedly stole property estimated to be worth around $36,500, WPTV reported.
The owner of the business discovered upon his arrival Friday morning that the lock on the entrance of the compound was missing. He also noticed that a silver 2005 GMC Sierra pickup truck was missing from the parking lot, while several items were allegedly stolen from inside the shop.
He immediately reported the incident to police, who checked surveillance cameras at the scene. Footage captured a man leaving in the stolen truck at around 2 a.m.
The suspect allegedly stole the keys to 60 cars and trucks from inside the office and used one to access the truck that was for sale at $10,000, Miami Herald reported, citing a police report.
Puglisi also allegedly made off with a 45-inch Samsung TV valued at $1,500, two Dell laptops valued at $1,000 each and $3,000 worth of wrenches, screwdrivers and pliers — along with the 60 sets of keys that the owner estimated would cost $20,000 to replace, according to the outlet.
Police were able to track down the stolen truck at around 12:50 p.m. An officer allegedly tried to flag down Puglisi at a stop, but the 52-year-old man kept driving.
There was a brief police pursuit that ended as the truck continued to flee at a high rate of speed.
Not long after, it was reported that a truck had crashed into an office building at 432 W. Boynton Beach Boulevard. Puglisi allegedly fled the scene.
He was taken into custody after police searching the area allegedly found him pretending to grill on the porch of a nearby apartment, WPBF reported, citing the Boynton Beach Police Department.
Puglisi refused to talk to officers about the incident after he was arrested. All 60 sets of keys were recovered.
Puglisi is now facing charges of burglary, grand theft of a motor vehicle and criminal mischief.
The case remains under investigation, and further details have yet to be released by authorities.
Rydell Stipe was arrested on charges of first-degree rape and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. Photo: pixabay
