Two men were jailed Sunday afternoon after an off-duty Orlando police officer spotted them fleeing an Ocoee Best Buy with stolen merchandise, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.
Officer David McKinnon told Channel 9 he spotted four men running from the Best Buy on West Colonial Drive and South Clarke Road near the West Oaks Mall shortly before 2:30 p.m.
McKinnon said he then called for help and chased the suspects onto State Road 408 in his personal vehicle.
Raw: Off-duty Orlando officer nabs 2 theft suspects in Ocoee
“At some point, I just needed to do something,” McKinnon said. “I called into 911, tried to get a perimeter set up, so we could get them stopped somewhere.”
The suspects crashed 3 miles away near SR 408 and North Hiawassee Road before they bailed from the car, said Rosa Silva, a Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman.
McKinnon said he chased the getaway driver to a nearby apartment complex and tackled him. Residents helped McKinnon zip tie the man.
Photos: Off-duty Orlando officer nabs 2 theft suspects in Ocoee
“I had nothing on me to identify me as an officer, but at some point I needed just to do something and I did it,” he said. “I got out, I took him to the ground."
A second suspect was captured across the street at a Home Depot, and the other two men escaped, McKinnon said.
“My wife is not going to be happy,” he said. “But it is what it is.”
One of the suspects was hospitalized.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
Cox Media Group
