FLORIDA CITY, Fla. (WSVN) – Surveillance footage released Wednesday shows two gas station clerks fighting back against a pair of robbers that entered their store, Saturday, in Florida City.
The video shows the two armed robbers entering the Shell gas station on South Dixie Highway and Palm Drive. They immediately approached the clerk’s counter, and one robber began slamming a baseball bat against the cash register, then went behind the counter and began swinging the bat at the two clerks.
But one of the clerk’s then pushed back at the robber and grabbed the bat out of his hands, turning it against him. Meanwhile, the second robber climbed on the counter and grabbed money out of the register before being pushed away by another clerk.
“While the employees were focused on one of the assailants, one of the robbers, the other one, was able to get some money out of the register and flee,” said Florida City Police Department Corporal Ken Armenteros. “It’s pretty brazen.”
The video shows the clerk continuing to swing the bat against the robbers who, according to police, eventually left the store and got away in a gold SUV, heading south.
Eric Aune, who was visiting Florida City, Wednesday, was shocked by the violence of the video.
“That might be one of the most violent things I’ve seen in a long time,” Aune said, “I don’t want to watch that anymore. That’s crazy.”
A woman who lives nearby didn’t understand why the robbers would attack so violently.
“They were super violent,” Wilma Ledezma said. “Why would they do that?”
The robbers got away with $300 in cash, but the clerks still had their bat.
Police said the robbers were clearly desperate.
“It shows that they’re desperate, and a desperate person does things without thinking,” Armenteros said. “So, again, we don’t want that type of element in the streets, and we want to put them behind bars, where they belong.”
The employees were not hurt. However, if you have any information on this armed robbery, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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