Police: Attempted robbery suspect hides in pond, says he's "just fishing"
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Police in Florida say they used a K-9 to track a man accused of attempting to rob a store to a pond, in which he had submerged all but his face, reports CBS affiliate WKMG.
Volusia County deputies say 29-year-old Sean Torres said he was “just fishing” and that his fishing pole was in the water. Torres was aware of the attempted robbery, deputies say, but claimed “the guy who did it went that way.”
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that it had been alerted to the attempted robbery around 8:36 p.m. Saturday at the Family Dollar. After arrive to the scene, deputies learned that a man covered his head with his shirt, revealing a large “Loyalty” tattoo on his stomach, and demanded money from the store clerk.
When the clerk said no, the suspect threatened to shoot him, and reached into the back of his shorts as if he had a gun, deputies said. Ultimately, the suspect fled without money.
The suspect was initially spotted by a helicopter near the edge of a pond, but when deputies and the K-9 arrived he had gone into the water. As they moved closer, Torres surrendered with his hands up and slowly trudged back to land, saying he did not want to be bit and would not hurt a dog. Deputies soon noticed a “Loyalty” tattoo on his stomach and said in the press release that the store clerk identified Torres as the culprit.
Torres was taken into custody, and while in the back of a patrol car, allegedly kicked the doors, damaging the vehicle.
He was taken to jail on attempted robbery and criminal mischief charges. He remained there Sunday on $30,500 bail.