Week in Review: Illegal gambling bust, Suspect caught by K-9 unit, Man trashes store

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Here are the stories with the most watched videos from this week.

25-year-old motorcyclist in critical condition after collision on Lantana Road

LAKE WORTH, Fla. (CBS12) — A 25-year-old motorcyclist was left in critical condition after a crash on Lantana Road in Lake Worth Corridor.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) crash report stated that on Saturday, the motorcyclist was speeding eastbound on Lantana Road near South Jog Road when a driver in a Lincoln, traveling westbound, attempted to turn left into the Pinewood Square shopping plaza.

Officials stated that the motorcycle collided with the front left side of the car at the intersection, causing the motorcyclist to be thrown from his bike.

The 25-year-old man was transported to Delray Medical Center with critical injuries.

Read full story here.

Illegal gaming bust in Indian River County designed to set an example

VERO BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — While illegal arcade busts were becoming a common sight in 2023, they have been fewer and farther between this year – until Wednesday.

That’s when deputies from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office (IRCSO) showed up at Panda arcade, arrested two men, and began seizing slot machines. The suspects, who were identified as Jinquan Lin and Jing Guo Yang, were each booked on a counts of racketeering and illegal gambling. They are each facing million-dollar bonds.

The Vero Beach arcade, which is right off U.S. 1 and 8th Street, was raided Wednesday morning and deputies, along with members of the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC), were on hand as slot machines were wheeled out. The investigation that led to the raid actually started more than a year ago.

“They were very well aware that they were already being reported as conducting illegal gambling,” IRCSO Captain Joe Abollo said. “We don’t want that stuff here. We don’t want that kind of garbage here. We will not tolerate these types of arcades that are bring just poison into our community.”

Read full story here.

Surveillance footage leads to arrest of Florida man for trashing cell phone store

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. (CBS12) — A South Florida man is accused of breaking into a cellphone store, smashing display cases, and stealing thousands in merchandise. The entire incident and arrest were caught on camera.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) said that just after midnight on Sunday, deputies arrived at Pronto Giros, a local cellphone store. At the scene, deputies reported seeing a broken window and the store in shambles, with shattered glass covering the floor.

When the Sheriff’s Office got ahold of the surveillance video, deputies saw a man breaking the front window, and then smashing the display cases and taking the items inside.

After the suspect fled the scene, K-9 units were able to track the man to a residence around a block away. A trail of blood from the back window added to the deputies’ assurance that they were in the right place.

Read full story here.

WATCH: Aviation and K-9 units collaborate to detain suspect in early morning operation

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — An aviation section and K-9 unit assisted in capturing a fleeing suspect in Hillsborough County.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) stated that on October 20, at around 4:45 a.m., deputies responded to a report of a vehicle burglary in Ruskin.

Officials stated that once they arrived on the scene, the suspect attempted to flee from deputies.

HCSO reported that the HCSO Aviation Section and K-9 unit were able to locate the suspect and detain him without further complications.

Read full story here.

From Palm Beach County to Africa: Local animal keepers mission to save endangered rhinos

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — CBS12 News is getting an inside look at how wild animal keepers at one of Palm Beach County’s animal parks went across the world to help wildlife in Africa.

Lion Country Safari is best known for being Florida’s largest wildlife drive through park with lions, and elephants, and giraffes. But what you might not know is that the money it gets through tickets goes towards conservation efforts in the wild

There are five rhino species in Africa. All endangered to some extent.

To put this into perspective, at the start of the 20th century, an estimated 500,000 rhinos roamed the planet. Today, there are just under 28,000 rhinos left in the wild. That’s according to the International Rhino Foundation.

The foundation says that’s largely due to poaching.

Read full story here.

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