Lawyer's $100K sports car goes on a wild ride after he leaves the keys in the vehicle
Audi R8. TonyV3112 / Shutterstock.com
An expensive sports car owned by a Florida criminal defense attorney went on a wild ride Friday after he left it parked outside the garage of his home with the keys inside it.
Stolen a little after midnight, the 2014 Audi R8 was recovered at nearly 11 p.m. the same day in the parking lot of a convenience store. Meanwhile, it had clocked over 200 mph while being driven down Interstate 75, suspect Michael Bancs, 47, told authorities once he was arrested, a police report says.
Bancs initially denied having been behind the wheel when approached by Manatee County sheriff’s deputies who had spotted the distinctive vehicle, which has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of more than $100,000. However, a clerk at the store said Bancs had been revving the engine, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. Bancs, who had been standing near the sports car, was swaying and seemingly intoxicated, the police report said.
Around 5:30 p.m. a Bradenton policeman also had spotted the stolen Audi, the report continued. When the officer followed, Bancs allegedly turned around and got behind the officer’s vehicle, then sped up and blew past him, the newspaper reports.
Owner Aaron Delgado is a partner of Damore, Delgado, Romanik & Rawlins in Daytona Beach. He praised authorities for their prompt response to the theft, which he discovered at around 8 a.m. Friday.
Chief Mike Chitwood of the Daytona Beach police said about half the vehicles stolen each year had the keys inside them at the time.
Bancs was also wanted on a Volusia County felony warrant, and police said drugs and a bullet were found when the sports car was searched. the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports. Bancs was charged with grand theft auto, driving under the influence, and possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, as well as being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition.
Hat tip: Above the Law.
