Florida deputies force way into wrong home in search of shoplifting suspect
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OVIEDO, Fla. (WFLA) — A miscommunication resulted in Seminole County deputies barging into a Lake Mary home in search of a suspect in an alleged shoplifting incident.

According to NBC affiliate WESH, the miscommunication occurred between the Oviedo police and the sheriff’s office resulting in deputies forcing their way into the wrong home.

The incident began when deputies knocked on the residence of Victor Gordillo Jr. just after 10 p.m. on a Sunday night back in June.

Deputies told reporters that also inside the home at the time was his wife, Jennifer, along with their kids and relatives who happened to be visiting.

Reporters said that the situation quickly escalated, becoming tense, when deputies asked Gordillo Jr. to step outside. After he refused, deputies pushed their way through the door before he could close it.

Gordillo Jr., a 20-year Army Reservist, had just returned home from duty. Deputies then wrestled him to the floor and handcuffed him, Wesh reported.

According to reporters, the reason for his arrest stemmed from an incident at a now-closed Winn-Dixie in Oviedo on June 8, where a suspected shoplifting incident occurred.

Oviedo Police said that the store managers reviewed surveillance video after an employee told them he observed a man enter the frozen food section, grab four bags of shrimp valued at $30 each, and leave the store without paying.

Police said the video for the license tag led them to Gordillo Jr.’s father, Victor Washington Gordillo, 70.

Deputies realized their mistake nearly half an hour after Gordillo Jr.’s arrest, and he was taken by paramedics to a hospital for treatment.

The sheriff’s office said several deputies involved in the incident were reprimanded and received remedial traning.

Reporters said that the family’s attorney intends to sue in both federal and circuit courts and the state attorney’s office declined to prosecute the alleged shoplifiting case against Gordillo Jr.’s father.

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