By Walter Pacheco
The Orlando Sentinel
CASSELBERRY, Fla. — A gang of thieves tried to run over an undercover officer after they were caught stealing gas overnight from a Casselberry gas station, police said.
Casselberry officers booked Chelsea Elaine Harris, 19, into the John E. Polk Correctional Facility on a $2,350 bond. She faces charges of aggravated fleeing and eluding at a high speed, organized fraud, criminal conspiracy, reckless driving and retail theft, among other charges. Ryheen Jammal Brinson, 25, faces charges of resisting without violence, retail theft, organized fraud and criminal conspiracy. His bond is set at $1,200.
Officers said Harris, Brinson and another man used a large truck to block the gas station clerk’s view of the pumps while they cracked open a pump and used an electronic device to siphon the gasoline without paying for it.
Investigators are searching for the third suspect who fled the scene. Officers said a total of five vehicles were involved in the gas theft ring.
When officers spotted the thieves and tried making an arrest at the Hess station, at 3190 U.S. Highway 17-92, one of the vehicles -- a white Ford F150 -- sped toward undercover detective Robin Lilly. “The driver deliberately changed course of path to strike the officer,” Lt. Dennis Stewart said.
The truck struck Lilly and he suffered minor arm and torso injuries, the report shows.
Stewart said Harris and Brinson took off in a white Chrysler, “wrecklessly weaving through traffic at 70 to 75 miles per hour.”
Jail records show that Orange County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Brinson in 2007 for petit theft.
Detectives are looking for a green Ford Mustang, a grey and green Dodge Magnum and a white Mitsubishi Gallant.
This is not the first time gas thieves target Casselberry gas stations.
“Our officers have run into this scheme before,” Stewart said. “We are working with local and state agencies to find out how extensive this is.”
Copyright 2008 The Orlando Sentinel