Brevard County pawn shop owner holds burglary suspect at gunpoint

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — The owner of a Brevard County pawn shop held a burglary suspect at gunpoint Tuesday until deputies arrived and arrested him, authorities said.

Investigators from various departments have been in and out of Brevard County pawn shops in recent weeks, looking for stolen goods.

By the time one of the suspects walked into Beach Pawn on North Atlantic Avenue on Tuesday, word was out and the owner held the suspect at gunpoint until deputies arrived.

The owner, Charlie Fouche, said the suspect was nervous and that he looked familiar when he walked into the store.

Fouche double-checked a deputies photo, and because he knew that some of the stolen goods were weapons, he said he had to assume that the suspect was armed.

William Hasencamp, 29, has been described as the ringleader of a group of burglary suspects who have been preying on homeowners throughout Brevard County for more than a month.

“I thought I recognized him. I wasn’t sure. I excused myself from the counter, I looked (at the picture), determined it was him and had to make a decision based on the safety of my employees, which is paramount in what we do here,” said Fouche.

Surveillance video inside the store captured exactly what Fouche did.

Fouche drew his weapon and told the suspect to get on the floor as a call was made to 911.

“I was not taking my eyes off of him until officers arrived,” he said.

Hasencamp is facing charges of burglary, grand theft and dealing in stolen property.

Hasencamp's two co-defendants were already in custody.

“My main concern was the safety of my employees, the safety of myself. Let’s get this guy off the streets,” Fouche said.

Deputies said Hasencamp is also a suspect in a Port Saint John burglary on Monday.

He was already on felony probation for burglary.

WFTV