ST. PETERSBURG, FL - August 18, 2020 - According to an online news report posted on TampaBay.com, St. Petersburg police arrested a homeless man who allegedly broke into Al Lang Stadium on 1st Street Southeast, and turned one of the professional soccer stadium's luxury suites into his new home for about two weeks. The 39-year-old man was discovered when a cleaning crew walked in the suite the man was living in and found opened shaving cream containers, razors, and bedding, according to a spokesperson with the St. Petersburg police.
The St. Petersburg spokesperson stated that the suite had not been clean in a while, and the suite should have been empty because the suites were not cleaned due to inactivity due to the coronavirus. The stadium's security personnel examined the video recordings from the stadium's surveillance cameras. The security video showed that the suspect had been breaking into the food and merchandise areas. The suspect allegedly took some of the Tampa Bay Rowdies clothing and was wearing the items. The suspect allegedly ate food that he took from the food vending areas. According to the St. Petersburg Police, the suspect stole over $1,000 worth of clothes and drank a couple of hundred dollars worth of drinks. The St. Petersburg spokesperson reported these allegations.
The stadium's surveillance video showed that the suspect had been living inside the stadium for a few weeks. The St. Petersburg police do not understand how the suspect accessed the stadium. They believe that the suspect blended in and accessed the stadium with a group of cleaning associates.
The Al Lang Stadium is a property that is owned and operated by the City of St. Petersburg, Florida. The Mayor of St. Petersburg stated that the case against the suspect is pending, and he declined to provide a comment.
The suspect has been arrested on charges of resisting an officer without violence and burglary. There could be other charges filed against the suspect as the investigation continues. The suspect has been booked and processed into the Pinellas County jail, where he waits for his preliminary hearing. The homeless man was unable to make his $5,150 bail. The St. Petersburg Police stated that the suspect would not provide the officers with his name, but the suspect was identified through the suspect's previous arrest records.