A trio of armed robbers suspected of snatching the cash drawer from an McDonald’s drive-through in Ocala was apprehended in Sumter County after leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase.
A black male wearing a hoodie shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday, walked up to the drive-through window at the McDonald’s at 3455 North Pine Avenue, reached through the open window and stole the cash drawer, according to the Ocala Police Department. He then fled the scene in a black BMW with the cash drawer that contained an unknown amount of currency.
Watch video of the chase here:
After officers arrived on the scene, another report of a similar robbery at the McDonald’s at 4110 SW 38th Court was received by the Ocala Police Department. The description of a man in a hooded sweatshirt matched the description in the first McDonald’s robbery.
Marion County sheriff’s deputies were checking surrounding McDonald’s restaurants when they located the BMW at the McDonald’s at County Road 484 and Interstate 75.
The BWM, later determined to be stolen out of Gainesville, exited County Road 470 where Sumter County sheriff’s deputies and the Florida Highway Patrol joined in the chase which reached speeds of 160 miles per hour. The BMW then headed north to the area of County Road 423 where the vehicle shut off its headlights. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office helicopter was able to monitor the stolen vehicle as the occupants attempted to hide it behind a residence. At 11:49 p.m., as deputies attempted to surround the vehicle, the suspects fled on foot. One suspect later identified as 20-year-old Aubrey Desean Strong of Gainesville was apprehended by a sheriff’s K-9.
He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on charges of auto theft, resisting, and possession of cocaine.
Several hours later at 4:02 a.m., a citizen contacted the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office to report two suspicious black males riding bicycles in the area of County Road 470 and County Road 482A. A Sumter County Sheriff’s Office sergeant discovered two black males as they hid behind the Hardees in Lake Panasoffkee. The two males fled and after a short foot pursuit were taken into custody. They were both found to be 17-year-old juveniles from Gainesville. Both juveniles were transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Ocala.