An Orlando getaway driver has been sentenced to over four years in jail after he and two others were caught on video chaining an automatic teller machine on Colonial Drive and stealing $116,650.
On Monday, Carlos Tawan Reed, Jr., 23, was sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison for bank burglary and bank theft in connection with the destruction of the ATM machine in May 2022. Reed pled guilty on November 28, 2022.
On May 26, 2022, Reed, 23-year-old Deontrae Walden, and 23-year-old Wendell Harp, Jr. wrapped a chain around an ATM machine at a Chase Bank located on East Colonial Drive in Orlando. Using a stolen F-250 truck, the men destroyed the casing of the ATM and stole cash boxes from inside.
The cash boxes contained $116,650, according to court records. The men fled the scene in a Mercedes rental car driven by Reed.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the theft and pursued the men on the ground and in the air. Reed led police on a high-speed chase, which ended when deputies deployed spike strips and disabled the car. All three men attempted to flee on foot and were apprehended a short time thereafter.
The stolen money was recovered from inside the stolen Mercedes.
Walden and Harp have both entered guilty pleas in the months since the incident. Both are awaiting sentencing in the case.
While they were being interrogated, Walden admitted to his role in five similar burglaries in the area. A fourth individual, Aqunis Green, was arraigned and pled not guilty. He is currently serving a 46-month federal sentence for similar conduct in the Eastern District of Texas and faces a maximum term of 20 years on this indictment.