Normally, I would like to have my coffee served without a side of carjacking. But for one pregnant woman in the drive-thru line at in Ocala, Fla., that’s exactly what she got with her order. Or, at least what she almost got.
Army veteran Shane Spicer was also waiting for his morning coffee with his girlfriend and daughter, when a speeding car crashed at the intersection beside the Starbucks. Dash-cam footage show police shouting “A white male bailing! He’s now at Starbucks!” in a newly-released dash-cam video.
Spicer said that he normally started his morning at the Starbucks. “Just getting started with the day, had maybe been awake 20 to 25 minutes. I live about a mile from that Starbucks,” he said. “(The man was) sprinting up to Starbucks, and he didn’t look like a Starbucks coffee drinker. Then he yanked the girl out of the car,” he said.
Shane Spicer holds a suspect police were chasing after the man attempted to carjack a pregnant woman. Photo courtesy of the Ocala Police Dept.
But the Army vet said it was “just kind of an instinctive — kind of reactionary thing.” Spicer jumped in the passenger side of the woman’s car, preventing the suspect, later identified as Michael Prout, from getting away. “I’m going to get you, buddy!” Spicer yelled would-be carjacker.
You’re not going anywhere now! You crossed the line!”
Body camera footage from the officers on scene show Spicer, along with an unidentified good Samaritan, holding onto Prouty until cops arrived seconds after the carjacking attempt. Police officials said that Prouty now faces charges of fleeing and eluding, attempted carjacking, resisting arrest, and other charges, as well in another county.
Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken commended Spicer and the other unidentified hero, stating, “We are proud of these two citizens for their heroic action, for helping our officers make the arrest, and for keeping our community safe.”
Michael Prouty
Spicer walked away from the incident with no injuries. The pregnant woman, who was shaken up, reached out to Spicer afterwards to let him know how grateful she was. Spicer said the incident should remind people to stay aware of your surrounding, but also be willing to help others if you can. “I feel like if you’ve got the ability to watch out for someone, that you should,” Spicer reflected. ”
I would just hope that someone would do the same for my family,” he said. In a world where too often we ignore what happens around us, Spicer’s heroic actions serve as a reminder that there are good people in the world who are willing to run to the rescue when things are scary. We should all remember that by working together, there is little we can’t do. Watch below for an interview with this amazing hero!
