$358 Publix theft ends with police chase into restaurant, Coral Springs cops say
An alleged meat theft at a Coral Springs Publix led to a police chase, a damaged cash register at a nearby Sonic restaurant and an arrest, police say.
Thomas Dinapoli, 55, was charged with multiple crimes, including criminal mischief, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting arrest, according to the Coral Springs Police Department.
Around 10:25 a.m. on Thursday, June 18, workers at the Publix at 6270 W. Sample Road reported that a man walked out of the store with approximately $358 worth of meat, police wrote in Dinapoli’s arrest report.
Officers confronted the man, who fled to Sonic and damaged a cash register in his attempt to evade capture, the report stated. He was captured shortly afterward in an employees-only area of the restaurant.
Cops said they also found a glass pipe with what cops described as “cocaine residue” and lighters on him.
Dinapoli was booked into Broward County Main Jail in the early hours of June 19, following medical clearance. He has not entered a plea as of June 22.
He also goes by the names Thomas Brooks and Dennis Yodsnukis, according to his arrest report, and does not have a permanent address on record.
Dinapoli’s charges:
- Unarmed burglary of an unoccupied structure
- Petit theft
- Criminal mischief
- Possession or use of drug paraphernalia
- Resisting or obstructing a law enforcement officer without violence
