Nationwide — Quabreshe Long, an African American woman from St. Petersburg, Florida, is facing several charges after trying to take back her own car from a towing company and pepper-spraying an employee in the process. Police say she refused to follow officers’ commands while inside the lot.
The incident unfolded around 4:30 p.m. Thursday at TRL Towing on Ferguson Drive in Orlando. Officers arrived after receiving reports of a stolen vehicle in progress and found Long inside the secured lot.
According to Click Orlando, Long, 29, entered the lot without permission to retrieve a Chevrolet Malibu she claimed was a rental car towed earlier that day. When an employee tried to stop her, she sprayed him with pepper spray and attempted to drive the car through the lot’s gate, hitting it multiple times.
The employee then used a tow truck to block her exit. Police said Long continued to ignore commands. She told officers she was trying to recover personal belongings and $49,000 she said were inside the vehicle. During a search, police also found oxycodone pills and a 9mm handgun in her possession.
Long was arrested and charged with burglary of a structure with battery, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm during a felony, grand theft of a motor vehicle, and resisting an officer without violence. She was taken to Orange County Jail without further incident.