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St. Petersburg Woman Accused Of Stealing Police Car

ST. PETERSBURG (CBSMiami) — A St. Petersburg woman is behind bars after she allegedly hopped in a police car and tried to get away.

It all began Saturday night when to St. Petersburg officers were sent to check out reports of a domestic disturbance.  When the officers arrived, they got out of their patrol car but left the keys in the ignition.

While the officers were busy, Vanessa Brooks, 22, who was nearby flagged down a driver. When the driver stopped, Brooks allegedly reached into the car and stole the driver's cell phone.

Brooks reportedly then ran to the police cruiser, got inside, backed up into another police car and drove off.

When the officers wrapped up their disturbance call they discovered their patrol car was gone.  They radioed it in and minutes later Tampa police found Brooks in a restaurant's parking lot.  She was arrested and taken to Hillsborough County Jail.

Brooks faces charges of vehicle burglary, auto theft and leaving the scene of a crash.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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