The Ocala Police Department is saluting the role two citizens played in apprehending a suspect on the run after a home invasion in The Villages.
Ex-convict Michael Prouty, 39, forced his way into a woman’s home Tuesday morning in the Village of Santiago and stole her purse, cell phone and Cadillac from the garage. Later that same day, Prouty was found driving the stolen car in Ocala.
Prouty fled from police and after a few moments of a vehicle pursuit, he crashed into several vehicles. After the crash, Prouty fled the scene, which left multiple people injured. As he was running away, he encountered Tom Episcopo, who was able to grab Prouty. Although Prouty broke free, he was slowed down by Episcopo.
Prouty attempted to carjack a woman while she was in a Starbucks drive-thru nearby. Another citizen intervened and attempted to pull Prouty out of the vehicle. Prouty ran off again but was followed closely by the citizen. The citizen apprehended Prouty behind Starbucks for a few moments until police were able to secure him in handcuffs.
“We are proud of these two citizens for their heroic action, for helping our officers make the arrest, and for keeping our community safe,” Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken said. “We would like to let these heroic citizens know that we are currently hiring police officers, and we invite them to apply to our agency.”
Prouty is currently in the Marion County Jail and is facing multiple charges including fleeing and eluding, attempted carjacking, and others. He was also involved in a robbery of a 7-Eleven convenience store in the early hours Tuesday before the home invasion incident in The Villages.
Prouty was sent to prison in 2017 for six years on burglary and robbery charges. He was released from prison in July 2022 on a community release program which he violated and committed more felony crimes in Miami-Dade County. He returned to prison to finish his initial sentence and was released in February 2023. He was turned over to Miami-Dade jail for the pending felony charges and bonded out in March 2023.