LAKE MARY, Fla. (WSVN) — A Central Florida jewelry store owner thwarted a burglary attempt, resulting in the suspect walking away with nothing.
The incident unfolded as Casa Leon Jewelers in Lake Mary when owner Rene Barrios noticed suspicious activity on his security cameras. He described the moments when he saw a man backing up his truck into the store and entering with a sledgehammer.
“When I saw that my heart stopped,” said Barrios. “I knew the damage would be quite substantial to the building, but he’s not going to take anything because there’s nothing to take.”
Despite the intruder’s attempt to smash his way to valuables, the would-be thief found the display cases completely empty. Barrios took the precautions of removing all jewelry from the shop floor, leaving nothing of value accessible.
The surveillance video captured the frustrated burglar as he walked around the store, eventually leaving empty-handed. Authorities quickly caught up to the burglar after Barrios provided them with the truck’s license plate number and description.
The suspect, identified as 28-year-old Lenell Barnes, was apprehended in Orange County after a police chase.
When the police pulled up he jumped in the truck, took off and they deployed the spike strips,” said Barrios.
The pursuit ended with Barnes crashing the vehicle and attempting to flee on foot before being caught by police K-9 units.
Barnes in now facing two charges of burglary. Meanwhile, Casa Leon Jewelers has repaired the damage and resumed business.
“We don’t leave anything outside…nothing. You can take a candle if you need to light your way out but other than that there’s is nothing of value,” he said.
Lake Mary is located approximately 19 miles North of Orlando.
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