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Local News
Police Detain Legacy Trail Crossing Suspect
Police Detain Legacy Trail Crossing Suspect After “Coordinated Button Activity” Causes Major Webber Street Delays
Published May 11th, 2026
SARASOTA — Sarasota Police temporarily detained, but ultimately declined to arrest, a 64-year-old man Friday afternoon after witnesses reported what officials described as “unusually persistent” use of the pedestrian crossing signal at the Legacy Trail intersection on Webber Street.
The incident began around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 1, during peak traffic hours, when multiple drivers reported repeated traffic stoppages at the crossing despite what appeared to be “minimal bicycle activity.”
According to witnesses, the man repeatedly activated the crossing signal before slowly walking his bicycle from one side of Webber Street to the other, waiting several moments, then activating the signal again to return across.
“It just kept happening,” said local driver Amanda Keene, who estimated she sat through four consecutive signal interruptions without moving more than “maybe 11 feet.”
“At first I thought there must’ve been some huge group ride coming through,” Keene said. “Then I realized it was just one guy in a bucket hat with incredible patience.”
Responding officers reportedly observed the suspect crossing the street at least seven times over a 22-minute period while maintaining what one officer described as “a calm but highly committed demeanor.”
Officer Trey Nuñez of the Sarasota Police Department stated that while the behavior caused significant congestion, officers struggled to determine whether any actual law had been broken.
“We honestly weren’t sure what we were looking at,” Nuñez said. “Technically, he was using the crossing correctly every single time. We checked with supervisors and nobody could immediately point to a statute covering repeated enthusiastic pedestrian compliance.”
Police temporarily detained the man after traffic reportedly backed up nearly to Beneva Road, with several motorists abandoning attempted left turns entirely.
One witness described the atmosphere as “emotionally exhausting.”
“It felt personal after awhile,” said driver Carl Weston. “Like psychologically he was defeating us.”
Authorities later identified the man as William Prater, 64, of Sarasota.
No charges were filed.
According to police, Prater eventually admitted he had intentionally disrupted traffic in an effort to improve parking availability for his wife, who was attempting to find a spot at The Parrot restaurant on Webber Street during the dinner rush.
Investigators say the strategy appeared to work.
-The Sarasota Beacon
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