BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A grand theft auto suspect is behind bars after Cocoa police say he stole a car from a 7-Eleven parking lot.
Police were called Monday to the convenience store at 947 Dixon Blvd. after a carjacking victim said a man took off with his vehicle. The victim admitted to authorities he left his vehicle running with the keys in the ignition as he went inside the store, as he’s done over the past several years, according to the arrest affidavit.
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The vehicle owner said the suspect was a barefoot Hispanic man wearing a black jacket, adding that he drove off eastbound on Crestview Road.
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Authorities searched the area and found an SUV matching the vehicle description at a nearby Advanced Auto Parts. As officers approached the Black Acura MDX, they noticed the vehicle was not parked in a designated parking spot and it was left running with no one inside. That’s when a man came out from a wooded area behind the store. Police said the man matched the suspect’s description, pointing to the fact he had no shoes.
Officers approached the man, who identified himself as David Morin, according to an arrest report.
After collecting witness statements, police pieced together that Morin was at the 7-Eleven asking for a cigarette before approaching the victim’s SUV and sitting in the driver’s seat. Surveillance video shows Morin backed out of the parking spot and drove off with ease, according to the arrest affidavit.
Police also learned the 38-year-old was on probation for a previous burglary. He’s now in the Brevard County Jail and is being held without bond.
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