The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said the pursuit ended in St. Petersburg after a robbery at University Square Mall.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — A 28-year-old man was arrested June 26 after deputies said he robbed a jewelry store at University Square Mall, assaulted the owner and fled with about $50,000 in jewelry.
Mahlique Booth faces felony charges after the robbery led Hillsborough County deputies into a pursuit that ended in Pinellas County. Investigators said Booth first posed as a customer inside the mall jewelry store, then tried to take a necklace before the owner confronted him. The sheriff’s office said the case remains tied to robbery and criminal mischief charges.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said the confrontation turned violent when the store owner tried to stop Booth. Deputies said Booth assaulted the owner, shattered a display case and left the store with jewelry valued at about $50,000. The agency did not immediately release the name of the jewelry store, the owner’s condition or whether any of the stolen items had been recovered. After the robbery, deputies began tracking the suspect vehicle with help from the sheriff’s aviation unit.
The pursuit crossed county lines as deputies followed the vehicle into St. Petersburg. Aerial and body camera video released by the sheriff’s office showed deputies coordinating the chase from the air and on the ground. One deputy said over the radio, “He’s trying to come towards you. Watch out,” as the driver moved through a neighborhood. Deputies later said the pursuit ended at a dead end on Murphy Avenue, where Booth was taken into custody without further incident.
Investigators said Booth had entered the jewelry store as if he were a shopper. The sheriff’s office said he then tried to steal a necklace, setting off the confrontation with the store owner. The display case was broken during the struggle, and deputies said Booth fled with multiple pieces of jewelry. Authorities did not say whether anyone else was involved. They also did not release details about the vehicle, how long the pursuit lasted or the full route deputies followed before the arrest.
University Square Mall is in the Tampa area and has been the site of past law enforcement calls involving retail theft and mall disturbances. In 2019, deputies investigated a separate jewelry store robbery at the same mall address after a gunman stole men’s rings valued at more than $100,000. The sheriff’s office did not say the earlier case was connected to the June 26 robbery. The new case adds another major retail theft investigation for local law enforcement agencies working across Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
Booth is charged with robbery and criminal mischief, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities had not released a first court date, bond information or booking details in the initial public report. Prosecutors will decide how to proceed with the case after reviewing reports from deputies and any video, witness statements and property records tied to the robbery. Investigators also are expected to document the value of the stolen jewelry and the cost of the damage to the display case.
The sheriff’s office said the chase ended when deputies closed in near the dead end of Murphy Avenue. Video from the pursuit showed a quick response from aviation and patrol units as the suspect vehicle moved through city streets. Deputies described the arrest as taking place without further incident, meaning no additional confrontation was reported at the scene. Officials did not report any injuries to deputies or bystanders during the arrest.
The case stood Monday with Booth in custody and two felony charges announced. The next public milestone will be the release of court records or a first appearance date, if those details are made available.
Author note: Last updated June 29, 2026.