ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Thanks to police officers following their instincts, a car theft suspect is now behind bars.
On Sunday, officers were called to the 1300 block of Tyler Ave after reports of a stolen car. The car owner told police that he left his car unlocked, with the engine running, while he was cleaning the snow off of it, when he noticed two men watching him from a distance.
The man then told police he walked away for a moment and saw one of the men run up to his car, get inside, and then drive away.
While police were not able to find the stolen car, they were able to find and identify the other man who was watching the victim. Police could not charge the man, 29-year-old Dustin Booze, but they felt he might try and steal a car himself, so they followed him.
Using an unmarked car, police followed Booze to a gas station and an apartment complex were they saw him run into a car that had been left unlocked with the engine running.
Booze allegedly drove off with the car and officers began to chase him. The chase led to I-97 northbound and was approaching Maryland Route 32 when the stolen car had mechanical problems and shot out a cloud of smoke. Booze pulled the car off the side of the road, came to a stop, and was arrested.
Booze is being charged with motor vehicle theft, theft and two other criminal charges and is being held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center on a $3,500 bond.
