A suspected catalytic converter thief was tasered after reaching for a loaded gun after his vehicle got stuck in some shrubbery near the intersection of Rolling Acres Road and County Road 466 in Lady Lake.
David Wayne Synrex, 38, of Silver Springs, had been pursued by officers from the Lady Lake Police Department and the Fruitland Park Police Department to the intersection at 4:45 a.m Monday, according to an arrest report. As officers approached his vehicle, they repeatedly ordered him to show his hands. Instead, he reached down to the floorboard where officers later found a Glock firearm with a fully loaded magazine and a round in the chamber. Synrex was tasered and taken into custody.
Several tools commonly used in the theft of catalytic converters were in plain sight in his vehicle. Those tools included a battery-powered DeWalt saw, multiple screwdrivers, batteries and latex gloves. He was also driving on a suspended license.
Lake EMS personnel removed the taser prongs from Synrex before transporting him to a local hospital. After he was medically cleared, he was booked at the Lake County Jail on charges of fleeing law enforcement, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of burglary tools, hit and run, resisting arrest and driving while license suspended. Bond was set at $16,000.