Nassau County deputies pinned a U-Haul against a tree on Sadler Road on Wednesday, ending a pursuit of a man they call "the Lego Bandit." Ronald Lorne Tipton was arrested and faces charges of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, organized retail theft and drug possession, the Nassau County Sheriff's Office (NCSO) announced.

Fernandina Beach police assisted deputies in taking Tipton into custody.

The arrest capped a weeks-long investigation into an organized theft ring that targeted stores along State Road 200 in Yulee, Action News Jax reported. According to an NCSO news release, Tipton and a group stole more than $3,000 in high-dollar Lego sets from Target and Walmart. Investigators linked the operation to more than $20,000 in stolen merchandise across Northeast Florida.

Investigators tie Tipton to three Target thefts

Deputies connected Tipton to three separate thefts at the Target on State Road 200. On Aug. 18, he allegedly walked out with four Lego sets worth more than $900. On Aug. 26, surveillance cameras captured him loading multiple sets into a white Mazda, totaling about $2,500 in losses.

He allegedly returned Saturday, took five sets through a fire exit and fled in a staged vehicle with nearly $1,300 in merchandise.

The method was consistent, NCSO said. The group filled shopping carts, exited through emergency doors to bypass registers and loaded stolen items into vehicles waiting outside.

Walmart confrontation touches off police chase

The pursuit started Wednesday afternoon at the Walmart on State Road 200 in Yulee. Investigators said Tipton entered the store around 3:56 p.m., scouted the toy aisles, then left to stage a U-Haul behind the building. He reentered, selected 12 Lego sets and fled after Walmart's asset protection team confronted him.

An NCSO investigator spotted the U-Haul on a service road near a former Chick-fil-A building and pulled a patrol vehicle in front of it. As the detective approached the driver's door, Tipton allegedly struck the detective's left arm with the U-Haul's open door, according to NCSO.

The U-Haul then drove erratically toward Fernandina Beach, weaving through parking lots at Beach Diner and CVS before a deputy ended the pursuit by pinning the truck against a tree on Sadler Road.

Meth, fentanyl found; second suspect charged

Deputies searching the U-Haul found plastic bags containing a white crystalline substance on the passenger-side floorboard. NCSO said the bags held suspected methamphetamine, crack cocaine and fentanyl.

A second suspect, Jessica Underwood, was taken into custody alongside Tipton and charged with unrelated drug offenses.

Investigators identified Tipton partly through distinctive tattoos on his right arm, including a marijuana leaf, which matched surveillance footage from the store thefts.

Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said in the news release that what starts as a single retail theft can uncover a larger operation. He said detectives worked with law enforcement partners and retail companies to make the arrest.

No arraignment date or bond hearing has been publicly scheduled as of Thursday. Residents with information about organized retail theft can contact the Nassau County Sheriff's Office at 904-225-5174.