The last thing Evie Linger expected to see Sunday evening was pictures on Twitter of her stolen silver 2010 Mazda 6 abandoned outside the Hub.
Linger, a UF finance senior, had begun losing hope, with her car having been stolen overnight Thursday from the neighborhood parking spot right outside her house less than a block from Infinity Hall. But when the 22-year-old learned police had found her car on campus, she said her internal panic finally subsided.
Police are still searching for three suspects — all dressed in black — who reportedly abandoned Linger’s car.
At about 4:50 p.m., a Gainesville Police officer driving on West University Avenue north of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium pulled up behind Linger’s car and recognized it as a stolen vehicle, GPD’s Lt. Marc Plourde said.
The officer ran the license plate number through the stolen car registry, and the car came up as stolen, Plourde said. After the officer turned on her lights, the stolen car sped east toward UF’s campus.
About 10 minutes later another officer on foot found the car abandoned with two doors open facing southward at the intersection of Fletcher Drive and Stadium Road, just north of the Hub, Plourde said.
Police and dogs searched on campus near where the car was abandoned, but police were unable to find leads on the suspects. Plourde said Sunday’s rainy weather and busy traffic nearby have made the search difficult.
The officer who drove behind the suspects on West University Avenue chose not to chase them as they sped away per GPD policy, Plourde said. Only in instances such as kidnapping, armed burglary, forcible felonies or if the driver poses an immediate danger can officers chase down a vehicle.
While police continue searching for the suspects, Linger said she’s breathing easy for the first time since Thursday.
Police called her Sunday evening to say there were no damages to her car, and it would be returned to her Monday after police continue searching it for fingerprints and leads on the suspects.
“I’ve been freaking out this whole weekend: ‘What am I going to do if they can’t find it,’” Linger said. “To be ‘happy’ is an understatement.”
Contact David Hoffman at dhoffman@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter at @hoffdavid123.
