Deputies say a Florida guy claimed he was robbed at gunpoint, but subsequently admitted he made the whole thing up just to get a ride home.
Deputies said Anthony Velez, 25, called the sheriff’s office just after 6 a.m. Tuesday to report an armed robbery, according to WFTV9.
Velez claimed he was riding his bike along Providence Blvd. when an unidentified individual shoved him off, pulled out a revolver, and took the rest of his belongings before fleeing on his bike.
While questioning Velez about the crime, deputies observed that he requested repeated rides to his home many miles away, which he was provided.
Deputies discovered surveillance footage from a convenience store near where Velez dialed 911 while investigating the suspected crime.
According to his arrest affidavit, the video showed Velez standing at the store’s entryway in no obvious difficulty soon before the heist was reported. They also observed two marked Volusia County Sheriff’s Office police vehicles pass by Velez as he remained there, and he made no move to flag the police down.
When deputies returned to Velez’s home to question him again, he modified his narrative only marginally before confessing that there was no robbery.
Velez told deputies he called because he needed a ride and was tired of walking. He was detained and charged with misdemeanor knowingly providing false information to a law enforcement officer. He was later released on a $1,000 bond.
