Police shot and killed a 24-year-old man yesterday after a dramatic chase and shootout following an even more dramatic crime spree. Charlie Christopher Bates allegedly broke into several homes last night, Fox 13 reports. In the first, police say he tied up a group of men who were watching the NFL's season opener, held them at gunpoint, then raped four women who were present. At his next stop, he spared the woman there because, police say, she began "praying and citing Biblical scripture."
He next broke in on a party and forced 25 people into a bedroom, where he held them at gunpoint and even fired shots before leaving without harming anyone. He also allegedly shot at and chased someone outside the apartment without hitting him, WTSP reports. Police began a manhunt that led them through woods, where the dogs lost his scent, the Tampa Bay Times reports. It all culminated in a car chase that ended when an unmarked police car appeared to tap Bates' bumper, sending the car careening off the road. A shootout ensued and Bates was pulled from his car with multiple gunshot wounds. He is suspected in several other break-ins, including an August 9 robbery and September 3 robbery and rape. (More burglary stories.)
