Officer crashes while responding to shoplifting call

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) - A Florida police officer crashed a patrol car into a tree while responding to a shoplifting call.

The Ledger reports that the Lakeland police sergeant wasn’t injured in the Wednesday afternoon crash.

Police say loss-prevention workers at a Belk department store reported a snatch-and-grab shoplifting. Officers later arrested three suspects after a tire on their car blew. Police recovered about $1,000 in merchandise from the suspects, who face grand theft charges.

Details on the patrol car crash weren’t immediately released.

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Information from: The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.), https://www.theledger.com