HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. - A man was arrested Friday morning after the Hernando County Sheriff's Office said he stole a vehicle from a local convenience store.
At around 10:22 a.m. on Friday, HCSO deputies responded to the Deltona Food Mart at 4132 Deltona Boulevard for reports of a stolen vehicle.
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They learned that a suspect got into a running vehicle and left the scene heading north on Deltona Boulevard. Deputies responded to the area and within ten minutes, they located the vehicle, according to the sheriff's office.
Authorities attempted a traffic stop, and the suspect failed to yield, fleeing toward U.S. 19. A detective eventually spotted the vehicle, later identified as Nicholas Dipietro, 38, pulling on to a dead-end road at Sealawn Drive and Aberlys Road.
Dipietro exited the vehicle and tried to escape on foot, but he was quickly apprehended, according to the sheriff's office. They added that he was apprehended in less than 20 minutes from the time the incident was reported.
HCSO reported that the victim was reunited with their vehicle which had no damage from the theft. Dipietro was charged with grand theft auto and fleeing and eluding and taken to the Hernando County Detention Center.