Polk deputies arrest man accused of carjacking Amazon delivery van
(Polk County Sheriff's Office)
BARTOW, Fla. - Deputies in Polk County arrested a man who they say carjacked an Amazon delivery driver on Wednesday.
The sheriff's office said the Amazon driver was in the back of his van for a delivery in a residential neighborhood near State Road 60, just east of Bartow. That's when they said 22-year-old Mario Crawford jumped into the driver's seat while wearing a ski mask, and demanded that the victim get out of the vehicle.
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The Amazon worker complied, and Crawford took off, later abandoning the van on Radford Road, deputies said.
A resident in the area where the van was abandoned flagged down a Polk deputy and said someone he didn't know had just entered his home.
The deputy found Crawford inside a bathroom.
(Polk County Sheriff's Office)
Sheriff Grady Judd said the Amazon driver did the right thing by not resisting the carjacker.
"The victim didn’t know if Crawford had a weapon on him, and didn’t know what he was capable of doing. He just knew that an unknown man wearing a ski mask was demanding him to get out, and that was the safest thing to do," Judd said in a statement. "He called and reported it immediately, and we were able to catch him soon after."
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Crawford is charged with carjacking, unarmed burglary, grand theft, possession of burglary tools, resisting arrest, and wearing a mask in public.
The sheriff's office said at the time of his arrest, Crawford was on probation for possession of a counterfeit check, forgery, uttering a forgery, and grand theft. That meant he was charged with violation of probation as well.
According to investigators, Crawford has a lengthy criminal history consisting of 17 felonies and 12 misdemeanors, including burglary, aggravated battery, grand theft, and dealing in stolen property.