Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Miami Herald
Cops with guns pulled chased man through Walmart produce section, Florida video shows
By Mark Price,
4 days ago
Shopping for veggies got scary at a Florida Walmart when deputies with guns pulled began pursuing an extortion suspect through the produce section, body camera video shows.
The 35-year-old suspect — a convicted felon — was found to be hiding two stolen guns when caught outside, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in an Aug. 26 news release.
The chase happened around 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25, at a Walmart in Dunnellon, about a 90-mile drive north from Tampa.
“Deputies located his vehicle in the parking lot of the Walmart ... Deputies entered the store and located (him) in the produce section pushing a shopping cart,” officials said.
Shopping for vegetables got scary at a Florida Walmart, when deputies with guns pulled began tracking an extortion suspect through the produce section, body camera video shows. Video screengrab
“He observed the deputies and began to flee throughout the store to a side exit.”
The pursuit ended when the man fell to his knees in the parking lot and put his hands on his head, video shows.
A search revealed he was carrying “a stolen handgun, ammunition and two clear pipes that tested positive for fentanyl,” officials said. The man then led deputies to another stolen firearm, a shotgun, “stashed” next to a bush at the store, officials said.
He is accused of trying to extort cash from a woman by threatening to send nude photos to her acquaintances, officials said.
“The victim advised (the suspect) sent text messages telling her to send him money. When the victim refused, he threatened to spread sexually explicit photos of her online,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Two days later, (he) sent a sexually explicit video to two of the victim’s friends via Facebook Messenger.”
She alerted the sheriff’s office on Aug. 23, and an investigation revealed the same man was wanted in connection with the robbery of a gas station in Levy County, just west of Marion County, officials said.
Investigators did not say why they were searching the Walmart parking lot in Dunnellon, but jail records show the suspect lives in Dunnellon.
The suspect has been charged with:
Extortion
Battery on a law enforcement officer (while being booked into the jail)
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0