He had apparently decided that if he was going to bar hop, he might as well do it in a police vehicle.
On a warm Memorial Day weekend in Key West, a man from the Chicago suburbs made a decision that transformed a holiday into a reckoning — stepping into an unattended police patrol car outside a bar and driving it, briefly and recklessly, to the next one. The act was impulsive and almost mundane in its logic, yet it carried the full weight of the law: seven criminal charges awaiting a man who, by all appearances, simply mistook opportunity for permission. It is a story as old as human nature itself — the moment when restraint fails and consequence arrives.
- A stolen police cruiser, a near-miss with two pedestrians, and surveillance footage rolling — the audacity of the act made it impossible to contain.
- Within minutes, the officer whose car had just vanished was flagged down by a security guard, and a small fleet of Key West police converged on the area.
- Mack was found just a short distance away, outside a second bar, apparently unconcerned — as though the patrol car were simply a convenient ride between drinks.
- He failed a field sobriety test, refused a breathalyzer, resisted arrest, and had no valid driver's license — each decision compounding the last.
- Seven charges now define what began as a Saturday night out: DUI, grand theft of law enforcement equipment, burglary, reckless driving, and more.
John Mack, 38, had come to Key West the way many do — a tourist from suburban Chicago looking to drink in the Florida sun over Memorial Day weekend. What he left with was a seven-count criminal record in the making.
Just before 6:20 p.m. on May 24th, Mack walked out of Dante's Key West Pool Bar & Restaurant with two friends and, with little apparent hesitation, climbed into a patrol car parked nearby. The vehicle belonged to an off-duty officer working at the bar. Surveillance footage captured the moment clearly — including the near-collision with two pedestrians as Mack pulled out of the lot.
A security guard spotted the theft immediately and alerted the officer. Police responded to find Mack still in the area, having driven the cruiser to the Boat House Bar & Grill just down the road — apparently intent on continuing his evening in a more official vehicle.
When officers caught up with him, Mack claimed he'd had only three to six beers. The field sobriety test told a different story. He failed, refused a breathalyzer, resisted arrest, and was found carrying only an Illinois ID — no valid driver's license. He sustained cuts from a fence during the struggle.
The charges that followed were substantial: DUI, burglary, grand theft, grand theft of law enforcement equipment, reckless driving, refusal of DUI testing, and resisting arrest. A holiday weekend had become something far more consequential — a reminder that poor judgment and open opportunity rarely end quietly.
John Mack's Memorial Day weekend in Key West started like any other tourist escape from suburban Chicago—a chance to drink and move between bars in the warm Florida sun. It ended with him in custody, facing seven criminal charges and a story that would outlive the holiday itself.
On Saturday evening, May 24th, just before 6:20 p.m., Mack was inside Dante's Key West Pool Bar & Restaurant, drinking. Security footage later showed him walking out with two friends, standing a few feet from a patrol car parked nearby. The vehicle belonged to an off-duty officer working at the bar. What happened next was straightforward in its audacity: Mack opened the door, got in, and drove away. As he pulled out of the lot, he nearly struck two men standing in his path.
A security guard spotted the theft immediately and flagged down the officer whose car had just been stolen. While other Key West police officers were responding to the bar, Mack was still nearby, driving the patrol car around the parking lot. He had apparently decided that if he was going to bar hop, he might as well do it in a police vehicle. Officers found him outside the Boat House Bar & Grill, a short distance away.
When police approached, Mack claimed he'd had only three to six Coronas. The field sobriety test suggested otherwise. He failed it. He also refused to take a breathalyzer. When officers moved to arrest him, he resisted, sustaining cuts from a fence in the process. He had no valid driver's license on him—only an Illinois ID card.
The charges stacked up quickly: DUI, burglary, grand theft, grand theft of law enforcement equipment, reckless driving, refusal to submit to DUI testing, and resisting arrest without violence. Seven counts for what began as a Saturday night out. Mack, legally presumed innocent, now faces the machinery of the criminal justice system in a jurisdiction that takes the theft of police equipment seriously. His Memorial Day weekend—that unofficial start to summer—had become something else entirely: a cautionary tale about what happens when poor judgment meets alcohol and opportunity.
Citações Notáveis
Mack claimed he had consumed only three to six Coronas, but he failed the field sobriety test.— Key West Police Department
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would someone steal a police car? It's not like you can hide it.
Right. It's the most visible vehicle on the road. But he wasn't thinking about hiding it—he was drunk and wanted to keep bar hopping. The car was just a means to an end, sitting there unattended.
The officer left his patrol car unattended at a bar?
He was off-duty, working security at the bar. He probably didn't expect someone to just walk up and take it. It's not a locked situation the way a regular car might be.
Did he actually make it to another bar, or was he caught immediately?
He made it to the Boat House Bar & Grill, a short distance away. So yes, he actually completed at least one leg of his stolen-car bar hop before police found him.
What strikes you most about this story?
The sheer recklessness of it. He nearly hit two people driving out of the first parking lot. He could have hurt someone badly. The theft itself is almost secondary to the danger he created.
Do you think he understood what he was doing?
He was drunk enough to fail a sobriety test and refuse a breathalyzer. So probably not in any clear way. But that's not a defense—it's part of why the charges are so serious.