DESOTO COUNTY, Fla. — Two people are charged with stealing an ATV from a DeSoto County store, leading deputies on a low-speed chase that ended in a crash, according to the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office.
WATCH: Fox 4's Eric Lovelace spoke to a store employee:
The theft happened on Saturday at The Bin Hut when a couple entered the store and asked about an ATV. While employee Bryan Martinez was helping another customer, the suspects asked about the four-wheeler.
Martinez initially thought the couple seemed friendly and trustworthy.
"No no, I thought they were really nice," Martinez said.
Then, the police report said as another employee was helping a customer, the couple committed the crime.
"They [employees] asked where's the keys to the four wheeler, I'm like alright, yeah, I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off for the four wheeler key," Martinez said.
According to a police report, the couple took the keys and stole the ATV. About two miles from the store, deputies said they spotted the stolen four-wheeler and began pursuing it.
Dash camera video from the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office captured the low-speed chase, which ended when the couple crashed the ATV. The man — the passenger — immediately put his hands up and surrendered, while the female driver ran from the scene, but deputies said they were able to arrest her.
The boyfriend initially told deputies he didn't know the ATV was stolen when he got on it, the report said. However, surveillance video from a nearby business reportedly shows the couple pushing the ATV, according to the police report.
The stolen ATV has been returned to The Bin Hut.
Martinez said the incident has prompted him to be more alert.
"I'm gonna put a chain, chain all the four wheelers, and keep my head on a swivel," Martinez said.
