Police Arrest Alleged Cop Car Thief
He may not have even realized it was a cop car
Luis Leonel Vilar was arrested Saturday, one day after he allegedly stole an unmarked police car.
It appears that all Luis Leonel Vilar wanted was a ride home when he allegedly stole an unmarked police car from the parking lot of a Hialeah Flanigan’s early Friday morning.
Police say the 24-year-old felon was so nonchalant about it that he even parked it in the parking lot of his condominium, which was about a mile away. In full view of residents who were able to point police to his condo the next day.
He didn’t even bother removing the guns from the car.
But that doesn’t mean he won’t be charged for breaking into a car with firearms.
“By virtues of committing a burglary of a vehicle that contained firearms, you are now considered armed while committing burglary,” said Hialeah police spokesman Carl Zogby.”
While police initially were fearful that somebody stole the car and equipment to impersonate a police officer, they are not even sure if Vilar was aware he was breaking into a cop car.
From the outside, the unmarked Ford Taurus doesn’t have any clear indication that it is a police car, but once inside, it should be obvious because of the lights and radio up front, Zogby said.
Zogby said that Vilar, who lives with his parents, confessed to the crime but did not make any statements that confirmed he knew it was a cop car.
“We really don’t know what state of mind he was in when he decided to steal it,” Zogby said.
For all we know, he might have even been in the Flanigan’s pounding beers where the owner of the car was working off-duty security.
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