A Florida prison inmate is now suing the man who caught him stealing his bike—the prisoner’s seeking half a million in damages after three men caught him in the act. The thief claims he was roughed him up while the bike’s owner caught him stealing the bicycle that had been in a locked vehicle.
Michael Dupree is currently serving 12 years in a Florida state prison for a term related to burglary and drug charges of cocaine possession—his prison stint following a 2007 break-in of a St. Petersburg, Florida, vehicle that contained a bike.
Vehicle and bike owner Anthony McKoy saw Dupree with his bike, from down the street—the bicycle stolen from inside the van.
Police say Dupree, homeless at the time, claims vehicle and bike owner McKoy--and two other men--pointed a gun at him, handcuffed him and placed a knee “painfully” into his back.
In the prisoner’s lawsuit—a legal claim filed without any attorney assistance--Dupree claims the take-down related to the bike theft "resulted in permanent disabilities and psychological disorders which the Plaintiff continues to suffer."
Bicycle owner McKoy’s now been served with the prisoner’s lawsuit: "I thought it was a joke, says McCoy, “I'm the victim…it's laughable. It's a waste of taxpayer money," he told Florida media. "What gall. I guess time in prison just makes you go crazy."