Armed carjacking suspect runs into Wawa store in Florida and grabs a clerk, cops say
An armed man accused of carjacking tried to escape police by jumping out of the vehicle at a gas station and grabbing a store clerk, according to Florida investigators.
It happened around 2 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 1, in Port Orange and police video shows an officer captured the suspect when the clerk inside Wawa broke free and scrambled away.
“Officer, I have a gun. ... I’m telling you that now,” the suspect is heard saying in the video. “It’s right here in front.”
A firearm was found stuffed in the front of the man’s pants, the video shows.
Investigators say the 35-year-old man is accused of entering a vehicle in Daytona Beach, pointing a gun at the driver and ordering her to drive.
A search for the vehicle was underway when police spotted it in Port Orange, about a 6-mile drive south from Daytona Beach.
“Officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle where it pulled into the Wawa gas station. The male suspect jumped from the back seat and ran into the store, grabbing a store clerk stocking the shelves,” police said.
Video shows an officer gave chase with his weapon drawn, and the suspect fell to the floor and surrendered.
The clerk was not injured, officials said. Investigators did not say why the suspect grabbed the clerk.
The suspect, a Port Orange resident, is charged with:
- Kidnapping
- Armed carjacking
- Possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon
- Battery
- Resisting without violence
This story was originally published September 6, 2024 at 4:14 AM with the headline "Armed carjacking suspect runs into Wawa store in Florida and grabs a clerk, cops say."