Man arrested after shoplifting, home invasion, stealing car, police say

Altamonte Springs police say Brandon Houston arrested in Maitland

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – A 21-year-old gunman was arrested early Monday in Maitland on allegations of shoplifting from a Walmart before breaking into a home and stealing a family's car.

According to Altamonte Springs police, Brandon Houston was arrested on charges of armed robbery and armed home invasion.

Police said a loss-prevention officer at a Walmart on State Road 434 saw Houston concealing items in his waistband around 12:42 a.m. and when he tried to prevent him from leaving the store, Houston pulled a gun out of his waistband and pointed it at the victim.

Houston ran to the Oasis at Pearl Lake apartment complex, which is behind the store, according to the report. Houston entered an apartment, threatened the resident inside, demanded the victim's car keys, then fled in his vehicle, police said.

Warning: 911 call contains graphic language

According to authorities, officers spotted the stolen vehicle leaving the complex and tried to conduct a traffic stop but Houston refused to pull over.

Officers said Houston was driving in a reckless manner so they had to disengage from pursuit while the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit followed the vehicle from overhead and relayed information about its location.

The incident came to an end after Houston traveled down a dead-end road off Live Oak Street, according to the report. Houston slowed down to a near stop and officers converged, but then Houston crashed into the front gate of a residence as well as a tree, police said.

Brandon Houston.

"I didn’t know what was going on," the homeowner said. "I assumed the suspect was armed, otherwise they wouldn’t have shown that much force."

Houston was arrested after the two crashes and was taken to the Orange County Jail. He's facing charges of armed robbery, home invasion robbery with a firearm and grand theft of a motor vehicle.

No one was injured.

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About the Author:

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

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