jjcollins
DIS Veteran
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- Aug 26, 1999
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Orange County deputies hope they've stopped a 24-hour crime spree at hotels on International Drive. They arrested two men Thursday morning after a high-speed chase.
Investigators think the crimes are connected because they had similar descriptions from all three incidents and the method of operation was the same.
Cops say they'd sit in the parking lot and watch guests enter their rooms before walking up and knocking. When the guests came to the door, they were looking down the barrel of a gun.
International drive is a tourist mecca, a place where Central Florida has to shine, until armed robbers prey on the tourists.
"They're a little more relaxed, they're on vacation. The bad guys know they're carrying a lot of cash, they're carrying cameras, they've got their jewelry and they look for an opportunity," explains Jim Solomons, Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Cops say Timothy Tyson (photo left) and an accomplice are two such opportunists. It started yesterday at a Ramada Inn where police think they burst into a hotel room and demanded cash. Next came an elderly couple in a Wyndham last night.
Then, this morning at a Marriott Residence Inn, the crime that broke the case: a witness described the getaway car.
"The helicopter was able to pick up a vehicle that matched the suspect vehicle," says Solomons.
When deputies on the ground pulled up, one suspect bailed out of the car, right into their arms. Tyson didn't give up so easily, leading them on a high-speed chase for almost eight miles before burying his car in a ditch on Taft-Vineland Road.
That's good news for police and tourists like William Porter. He and his wife are staying a few doors down from one of the victims and were in their room when the robbery took place. Now they're taking extra precautions. They think other visitors should do the same in this tourist mecca.
"When they're on vacation, they're out to have a good time, they're not really thinking about the world around them that much," says Porter.
Late this afternoon, Timothy Tyson, the driver of the car, was charged with evading police and with drug possession. But neither suspect has yet to be charged with armed robbery. That's because the victims, so far, have been unable to identify either suspect. They are working on doing more victim identification and they are still hoping to clear up this case.
jj.........
Investigators think the crimes are connected because they had similar descriptions from all three incidents and the method of operation was the same.
Cops say they'd sit in the parking lot and watch guests enter their rooms before walking up and knocking. When the guests came to the door, they were looking down the barrel of a gun.
International drive is a tourist mecca, a place where Central Florida has to shine, until armed robbers prey on the tourists.
"They're a little more relaxed, they're on vacation. The bad guys know they're carrying a lot of cash, they're carrying cameras, they've got their jewelry and they look for an opportunity," explains Jim Solomons, Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Cops say Timothy Tyson (photo left) and an accomplice are two such opportunists. It started yesterday at a Ramada Inn where police think they burst into a hotel room and demanded cash. Next came an elderly couple in a Wyndham last night.
Then, this morning at a Marriott Residence Inn, the crime that broke the case: a witness described the getaway car.
"The helicopter was able to pick up a vehicle that matched the suspect vehicle," says Solomons.
When deputies on the ground pulled up, one suspect bailed out of the car, right into their arms. Tyson didn't give up so easily, leading them on a high-speed chase for almost eight miles before burying his car in a ditch on Taft-Vineland Road.
That's good news for police and tourists like William Porter. He and his wife are staying a few doors down from one of the victims and were in their room when the robbery took place. Now they're taking extra precautions. They think other visitors should do the same in this tourist mecca.
"When they're on vacation, they're out to have a good time, they're not really thinking about the world around them that much," says Porter.
Late this afternoon, Timothy Tyson, the driver of the car, was charged with evading police and with drug possession. But neither suspect has yet to be charged with armed robbery. That's because the victims, so far, have been unable to identify either suspect. They are working on doing more victim identification and they are still hoping to clear up this case.
jj.........
