A St. Johns County man allegedly swapped out the tires and rims on a new Toyota Tacoma during a test drive this month, according to an arrest report.
The suspect picked up the truck from Beaver Toyota in St. Augustine on January 5 and later returned it with an older set of rims installed, the report states.
He mounted the newly acquired set on his personal vehicle and listed his old foursome on Facebook Marketplace, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
After receiving a complaint, deputies set up a fake sale with the man at a local Walmart last week.
When detectives approached his vehicle, he abruptly reversed his truck into a deputy’s cruiser before locking his doors and refusing to lower his windows, according to deputies.
The suspect then resisted exiting the vehicle and tensed up when deputies pulled him out.
He had a loaded gun in his possession at the time, the report notes.
The man taken to jail and charged with grand theft and resisting an officer.
The rims and tires stolen from the dealership were valued at roughly $3,000.
Surveillance cameras at Beaver Toyota captured him leaving and returning to the location on the date in question, deputies noted.
