Burglar trashes home, grabs a beer during chase, police say

[jnelsoninjax]

Stopping to steal beer while running away from cops may sound silly, but this is South Florida.

The illegal beer run occurred early Sunday morning after a burglary suspect was allegedly caught in the middle of looting a Lighthouse Point home and trashing it with mustard and illegible scribblings, police said.

The police chase ended with Andrew Fatzinger, 21, of Port St. Lucie, taken to a hospital after tussling with a police K-9, authorities said.

The bizarre string of incidents began about 2 a.m. Sunday when a neighbor called police to report seeing a man climbing up to the second floor of a townhouse in the 1900 block of Northeast 32nd Street. The neighbor said he could hear things breaking and items being slammed to the floor, according to a Lighthouse Police arrest report.

The residents of the townhouse were out of town, police said.

When two police officers arrived at the scene, they saw the intruder pacing in and out of the house while wearing a T-shirt over his head. When an officer ordered the man to stop, he took off running and jumped over a fence, according to the report.

Later, as a Broward Sheriff's Office helicopter circled the area and several K-9 officers sniffed around, Fatzinger was spotted walking a few blocks away from the break-in, according to the report.

"Further search by all the units on the scene resulted in a long foot pursuit," wrote Officer M. Riemer on his report.

During the chase, a deputy in the helicopter noted that Fatzinger jumped onto someone's patio and disappeared briefly. Fatzinger then re-emerged running from the home carrying two bottles of Heineken beer, the report said.

According to police, Fatzinger was seen throwing the bottles while continuing to run away, but was finally caught by a K-9 near the 2800 block of Federal Highway.

Fatzinger punched at the dog while trying to escape but was unsuccessful. He suffered unspecified injuries during his encounter with the dog.

Inside the burglarized home, police found that Fatzinger smashed all the televisions at the residence, splattered mustard on the walls and used pens, pencils and markers to scribble illegible messages throughout most of the rooms, police said.

Outside, police found a suitcase filled with items including two laptops, electronics and some medications, the report said. Damage to the home was estimated at more than $5,000.

The owner of the beer bottles indicated he also wanted to press charges.

Fatzinger is facing multiple charges including home burglary, grand theft, striking a police dog and resisting arrest with violence. Records show he was released from a state prison in 2012 after serving time for drug-related offenses.

On Monday, Fatzinger was not able to attend a first appearance in court because of an undisclosed medical issue. He is scheduled to return to bond court Tuesday.

Source

[Ph1b3r0pt1c]

LOL damn beer thief. I hope the guy that owned them gets compensated. :D