Florida man accused of making false armed robbery report to get a ride home from deputies

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Deltona man was arrested Tuesday after deputies say he claimed he was robbed at gunpoint, but later admitted he made the whole thing up just to get a ride home.

Deputies say 25-year-old Anthony Velez first contacted the sheriff’s office just after 6 a.m. Tuesday to report an armed robbery.

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Velez claimed he was riding his bike on Providence Blvd. when an unknown man shoved him off of it, pulled out a gun and took the rest of his property before riding off on the bike.

While questioning Velez about the incident, deputies noted he made several requests for a ride to his home several miles away, which he was given.

While investigating the alleged robbery, deputies found surveillance video from a convenience store near where Velez had called 911.

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According to his arrest report, the video showed Velez standing at the entrance of the store in no apparent distress just before the robbery was reported. They also noted two marked Volusia County Sheriff’s Office patrol cars passed by Velez as he stood there and he never made an attempt to flag them down.

When deputies went to Velez’ home to interview him again, he initially changed his story only slightly before admitting there was no robbery.

Velez told deputies he called because he wanted a ride and was tired of walking.

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He was arrested and charged with knowingly giving false information to a law enforcement officer, a misdemeanor.. He’s since been released on a $1,000 bond.

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