Lehigh Acres man dies after crashing stolen van

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla.- A man who police say stole a van is dead after crashing the car into a house.

46-year-old Robert Gibbons was identified as the driver.

Authorities received a call around 8:30 p.m. Thursday night about a man who was being belligerent and refused to leave the Dollar General store located on Gretchen Avenue South.

While deputies were heading to store, additional calls were received saying the suspect had possibly stolen a tan Dodge van from the store parking lot.

Police say a store customer kept a spare set of keys in his vehicle, and while he was in the store, the suspect was able to locate the keys and steal the vehicle.

Two witnesses saw the suspect jump into the van and take off. Believing the van was being stolen, they followed the van until it crashed into a home located on the 700 block of Harry Avenue South.

According to officials, the van crashed through the garage and struck two vehicles inside. No one inside the residence was injured.

Gibbons died as a result of injuries suffered.