Tampa Police Catch Accused Repeat Car Burglar On Video

TAMPA, FL -- A man who preyed on people who failed to lock their cars in several Tampa neighborhoods is behind bars.

Demetrius Marshall, 40, is in the Hillsborough County Jail on three counts of auto burglary and two counts of attempted auto burglary.

Tampa Police arrested Marshall after a homeowner spotted him trying to break into a car near 113 W. Curtis St. around 4:50 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6. The homeowner dialed 911 while the crime was in progress and officers were able to locate Marshall a few blocks away near North Highland Avenue and West Violet Street.

While Marshall was in custody, detectives determined that he matched the description of an auto burglary suspect who was caught on surveillance video five days earlier. In the Sept. 1 video, Marshall is seen riding his bike to the 1000 block of West Ohio Avenue in the Riverside Heights neighborhood shortly before 2 a.m. He laid his bike down in the middle of the road and proceeded to pull on the door handles of several cars parked in front of a home. Marshall then walked across the street where he was able to get inside a minivan and a sedan. He rummaged through both unlocked vehicles before getting back on his bike and leaving.

Video via Tampa Police