Man arrested near Lehigh Acres Walmart after U-Haul stolen out of Fort Myers

Published: Updated:
Walmart
Carlos Rodriguez, 30 mugshot. Credit: The Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

A person has been arrested near the Walmart in Lehigh Acres after deputies responded en masse to investigate the theft of a stolen U-Haul pickup truck out of Fort Myers.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested Carlos Rodriguez, 30, after a Wednesday morning call regarding a stolen U-Haul vehicle had been reported.

According to local U-Haul officials, the vehicle was stolen at the Fort Myers U-Haul location, off of Kernel Circle (FMPD jurisdiction). They said during nighttime, the suspect “fished” out keys from a thick lockbox and drove off with the pickup truck.

LSCO said the U-Haul was stolen on Monday but wasn’t reported until Wednesday.

Once police were informed of the theft, they used U-Haul GPS tracking to find Rodriguez.

Multiple deputies, including K-9s and aviation, arrived at the Walmart.

These are just some of the LCSO responses to Walmart’s investigation. CREDIT: WINK News

Investigators were seen focused on the U-Haul pickup truck, dusting it for prints.

U-Haul officials and LSCO confirmed there was a police chase. They made contact with the U-Haul once, and it fled. They then tracked it down with aviation.

Once the U-Haul reached Walmart and was parked, the suspect ran into the store. He then exited through the back door and ran into nearby woods.

Witnesses say the suspect ran inside the store with bags. We are still working to confirm the witness’s account.

According to LCSO, the subject took off on foot into some nearby woods, surrendered, and was arrested.

After the suspect was arrested, the U-Haul pickup truck was returned to its original location around 2 p.m. Wednesday.

This U-Haul was fingerprinted at the scene. Walmart. CREDIT: WINK News

Walmart employees said an announcement was made in the store when everything unfolded, but the big scene didn’t have many shoppers as the parking lot remained full.

U-Haul says, unfortunately, they’ve been the target of many stolen vehicles recently. 

WINK News will get body camera and aviation footage later on Thursday.

Rodriguez has been charged with fleeing and eluding police, reckless driving, resisting an officer, moving traffic violation, and grand theft of a motor vehicle.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.