A sampling of police reports from March 8 through March 16 in Gulfport, South Pasadena and St. Pete Beach.
Sources: Gulfport Police Department and Pinellas County Crime Viewer
Police Seek Help to ID Armed Robber
St. Petersburg Police are still searching for leads and are asking the public for help to identify the man who robbed an area 7-11 store at gunpoint at about 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 15.
The store is located at 3000 49th Street North on the corner of 30th Avenue North.
According to police, the robber entered the store and asked to buy cigarettes. He then produced a handgun and told the clerk to hand over the cash in the register. He left the store with an undisclosed amount of money.
In a surveillance video, the suspect is seen wearing a dark mustache and beard with dark sunglasses, a dark hat, dark pants and a long-sleeved white shirt under a black short-sleeved t-shirt depicting Reggae music legend Bob Marley.
Police are asking for anyone with information to call 727-893-7780 or text your details to 847-411 (TIP411).
Gulfport
3/8 – Burglary to a residence in the 4900 block of 12th Avenue South. A teenage resident reported that he was home alone around 8 a.m. when someone knocked on his front door. He said that he did not answer the door and that someone then entered his mother’s bedroom by removing the window and stole a safe from the house.
3/8 – Theft in the 5300 block of 29th Avenue South. A resident called to report that his bicycle was stolen three weeks earlier and he found it for sale online. The resident described the bicycle as a red BMX style bike.
3/9 – Fraud in the 4900 block of 15th Avenue South. A resident reported that someone printed two fake checks with his routing and account numbers on them. The checks were used at Petco and Walgreens.
3/9 – Narcotics/Truants in the 5800 block of 18th Avenue South. Officer Nicita stopped three female juveniles for being truant from Boca Ciega High School. A fourth female juvenile walked away from the group and was located two blocks away by Sergeant Vandenberg. The female attempted to lie about her age and smelled of fresh marijuana. She eventually admitted she was a student and pulled a marijuana cigar from her bra. She was arrested and transported to the Pinellas County Juvenile Assessment Center.
3/9 – Fraud in the 5200 block of 27th Avenue South. A resident reported that she received a phone call from someone claiming to be with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The caller told her that she owed the IRS money and needed to pay or she would be arrested. She was instructed to go get gift cards and provide the numbers from the cards to the caller. The woman complied and bought $2,500 worth of gift cards. She became suspicious after giving the gift card information when the suspect told her that she also needed to empty her bank accounts.
3/9 – Burglary to a residence in the 2100 block of 58th Street South. A resident reported seeing a man walking with a pressure washer and when the resident confronted him about it, the man asked if the pressure washer belonged to him. The resident said yes and the man gave him the pressure washer. It was later discovered that the pressure washer was stolen from a nearby fenced-in yard. A suspect has been identified and the investigating officer is waiting for forensic evidence to be processed.
3/10 – Animal call in the 2400 block of 52nd Street South. Police responded to a call about two large dogs chasing a cat. The officers involved were able to corral the dogs and return them to the owner, a local resident. Due to prior warnings for the dogs being at large, the owner was issued a citation for a county ordinance violation.
3/10 – Resisting an officer without violence in the 6200 block of 15th Avenue South. Police were called to a residence for a family argument. They discovered that the argument occurred because David Nas, who was intoxicated, took the keys to his brother’s car and was determined to drive the vehicle. Nas’ family members and the responding officers tried to convince Nas to relinquish the car keys but he refused. When the officers then attempted to take Nas into protective custody under the Marchman Act, he actively resisted forcing one of the officers to spray him with pepper spray, which got him to comply with the officers. Nas was charged with resisting officers without violence.
3/11 – Suspicious circumstances in the 3100 block of Clinton Street South. Officers responded to a call with a where a man was found unconscious but breathing. The man was found on his balcony. The man is still in the hospital and the events that led to his condition are still under investigation.
3/12 – Theft in the 5100 block of Gulfport Boulevard South. A customer at McDonald’s plugged his phone into an outlet in the dining room then left it on his table while he went to the bathroom. Another customer then stole the phone and charger. Using store video, officers saw what the suspect looked like and located him walking down the street a short time later. The case was solved, but the victim decided not to prosecute once he got his phone back.
3/13 – Fraud in the 1000 block of 60th Street South. A resident called to report that someone claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service told him he owed back taxes for the past six years. He The victim purchased a Google Play Card for $500 as instructed and provided the information to the suspect.
3/14 – Stolen vehicle at the Holy Name Church. A resident went into the church for a meeting and when she came out her vehicle was gone. The maintenance man observed a black male acting as a lookout while a white/Hispanic male broke into the car. The car left the parking lot and was speeding around the area of Tomlinson Park repeatedly throughout the day. Officers from the St. Petersburg Police Department eventually located the front bumper/grill/headlights to the vehicle after a hit and run in their jurisdiction. The rest of the vehicle was later located abandoned in an alley at 55th Street South and 18th Avenue South.
3/14 – Burglary to a residence in the 1700 block of 53rd Street South. A resident called to report that a clothes dryer was stolen. It was discovered that a former tenant had stolen the dryer and had taken it to her new residence located nearby. The dryer was returned to the victim and the victim chose not to prosecute.
Battery
3/12, time unknown, 2800 block of Beach Boulevard
3/13, 4:55 p.m., 900 block of 58th Street S
Burglary – residence
3/15, 12:15 a.m., 2100 block of 58th Street S
Burglary – structure
3/13, 11 p.m., 1700 block of 53rd Street S
Burglary – vehicle
3/14, 2:30 p.m., 5500 block of 15th Avenue S
3/16, 7 p.m., 5000 block of 23rd Avenue S
Shoplifting
3/13, 12:37 p.m., 5000 block of Gulfport Boulevard S
Theft – vehicle
3/13, 7:50 a.m., 5800 block of 15th Avenue S
Theft – petit
3/11, 12:24 p.m., 5100 block of Gulfport Boulevard S
Trespassing
3/15, 10 p.m., 5300 block of 27th Avenue S
Vandalism – criminal mischief
3/13, 7 p.m., 5600 block of 23rd Avenue S
South Pasadena
Burglary – vehicle
3/14, noon, 800 block of Oleander Way S
Theft – grand
3/11, 5:56 p.m., 1200 block of Pasadena Avenue S
St. Pete Beach
Battery
3/15, 9 a.m., 2000 block of Pass-a-Grille Way
3/15, 12:02 p.m., Pass-a-Grille Way and 14th Avenue
Burglary – vehicle
3/14, 3:07 a.m., 8400 block of Boca Ciega Drive
3/14, 7:18 a.m., 300 block of 87th Avenue
Theft – grand
3/11, 7:30 p.m., 6100 block of Gulf Boulevard
Theft – petit
3/14, 3:22 p.m., 7700 block of Blind Pass Road
Vandalism – criminal mischief
3/16, 4:08 a.m., 4900 block of Gulf Boulevard
