Florida’s LEGO Bandit Turns a Toy Heist Into a Wild U-Haul Getaway

35-year-old Ronald Lorne Tipton Jr. was arrested in Yulee, Florida, by the Nassau County Police Department. The reason was odd, since reports say that he went to the Walmart on State Road 200, selected 12 LEGO sets, and attempted to leave without paying. Some could pass this off as a mistake, since the Walmart employee confronted Tipton. But instead of talking things out, he decided to run from the store.

According to the authorities, he already had a U-Haul parked behind the store. Tipton allegedly hopped inside the vehicle and sped away from the Walmart. However, a detective spotted the U-Haul on a nearby service road and attempted to stop it. While the detective attempted to open the vehicle’s door, Tipton decided to speed away even more.

This is where things get much more serious, because the U-Haul allegedly struck the detective on his left arm while Tipton attempted to speed away. This triggered a high-speed chase where the U-Haul drove erratically toward Sadler Road. Tipton went through the CVS parking lot until the deputies finally caught up to him.

Those who have played the GTA games or watched police-related movies will likely find the following very exciting. The authorities pinned the U-Haul against a tree with a patrol vehicle. The detectives then waited for the Fernandina Beach police to come and take Tipton into custody.

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Tipton Didn’t Just Get Arrested For His Toy Heist

When everything was said and done, Tipton had stolen a rough estimate of roughly $3,800 worth of LEGO products from Target over the previous months. If this wasn’t enough, he was also eventually connected to more than $20,000 in stolen merchandise across Northeast Florida.

Not to mention, Tipton was also suspected of having methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl inside the U-Haul. Looking at all of this, it makes sense that he was eventually caught red-handed, especially since his strategy this time around was somewhat odd.