TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. – A 27-year-old Clearwater man was arrested for kicking an elderly woman and carjacking her car.
Tarpon Springs officers responded to the 600 block of Athens St. on Wednesday, December 30, 2020, in reference to a carjacking incident. At approximately 2:08 p.m., a 2011 Lexus was parked on Athens St. in Tarpon Springs, and the driver went into a business, while he left his vehicle running with his wife inside of the vehicle. The woman was seated in the front passenger side of the car.
The suspect, identified as Lorenzo B. Butler, Jr., 27, of Clearwater, approached the victim’s vehicle and opened the unlocked driver’s side door, and entered the vehicle. He confronted the driver’s wife and subsequently removed her from the vehicle by force.
The woman opened the passenger side door and began to yell for help. The suspect used his foot to kick the woman out of the car. This victim sustained minor injuries as a result of being forced out of the vehicle.
The suspect fled the scene in the Lexus.
TSPD patrol units had issued an alert to Pinellas and Pasco County law enforcement agencies for the stolen Lexus. Pasco County Sheriff units eventually located the vehicle being driven north on US 19, in the area of Country Club Dr., approximately 20-25 minutes after the incident was reported.
A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle and the suspect was taken into custody without incident. The suspect was charged with battery on a person 65-years or older and carjacking. He was transported to the Pasco County Jail.