A Florida man wanted for a robbery spree that spanned three locations over 30 minutes had a moment of panic when a gas station clerk put him in a chokehold after demanding money.
The man, described to be a white male in his 60s, hit three Port Richey businesses on Tuesday afternoon demanding an undisclosed amount of money, Pasco County deputies told Fox 13.
The first was a Regions Bank drive-through window from which he drove away empty handed.
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His second stop was a Sunoco Food Mart – it was here that he met some resistance.
“Fella walked up to me, walked straight up to the counter, looked me straight in the face and said, ‘I’ve got a gun, give me your money,’” store clerk Rob Ray told Fox 13. “At first I was a little taken aback, and I asked, ‘What did you say to me?’ and he said, ‘I got a gun, give me your money.’”
Surveillance cameras then caught Ray coming around the country and putting the suspect on a chokehold before dragging him out the store.
"Somebody comes in, wants to rob a store, they're not thinking straight in the first place, so you woulda thought after he got dumped on his head in my parking lot that he would have given up on robbing other people, but clearly he didn’t,” Ray added.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect did not stop there. He quickly drove to a nearby dry cleaner and again demanded money from the owner.
The woman ran to the next door barbershop for help.
Russ Disi, the barbershop’s owner, told Fox 13 he confronted the suspect and even grabbed him, but backed away when the suspect told him he was armed.
“I didn’t know how much money he took from her but I’m thinking whatever it was it’s not worth getting shot over,” he said.
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Police said the crime spree only lasted about 30 minutes. The suspect, who is still on the run, is described as wearing a black ball cap and a black jacket with white stripes on the sleeves. He was driving a black, four-door Volkswagen Jetta.
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