Friday morning at a Publix in Ormond-by-the-Sea turned into a scene of destruction when a man allegedly targeted the wrong vehicle in a misguided attempt at payback.
Justin Allen, 37, was arrested after Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies found him sitting inside a battered SUV, clutching a hammer while a car alarm blared in the parking lot.
According to investigators, Allen believed he was destroying his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle as retaliation for a personal dispute. Body camera footage captured Allen telling deputies that his ex had stolen his medication and moved on with another man. “F—ing b— thinks she can do whatever she wants,” he told the responding officer, claiming the woman thought she could “just take all my s—.”
However, the sheriff’s office confirmed that the vehicle Allen chose did not belong to his ex. Instead, the SUV belonged to a Publix employee who was inside the store working at the time.
Deputies noted that the ex-girlfriend apparently drives a similar model, and Allen allegedly spotted the vehicle and decided, “there it is.”
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The damage was extensive. Inside the vehicle, Allen reportedly used the hammer to smash the radio and other interior components. Authorities estimate the total cost of the destruction at approximately $17,000.
Allen faces a laundry list of charges following the incident, including burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, criminal mischief resulting in over $1,000 in damage, possession of burglary tools, and possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia.
Records show that Allen was booked into the Volusia County Jail but was released later that night after posting a $10,500 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on March 17 to answer to the charges.
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