LIGHTHOUSE POINT, Fla. (WSVN) – Police are asking for the public’s help in their search for an armed man who, they said, shot an employee in the parking lot of a Publix supermarket in Lighthouse Point during an attempted robbery, sending her to the hospital.
Lighthouse Point Police and Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the scene along the 2400 block of North Federal Highway, just north of Copans Road, at around 10 p.m., Friday.
According to officials, the gunman ambushed the female employee and shot her in the leg before he took off running eastbound.
Paramedics transported the victim to an area hospital in unknown condition.
Detectives swarmed the area searching for the subject but were unable to locate him.
Shoppers who came to the supermarket on Saturday were stunned to hear about the incident.
“I don’t remember much crime going on around here, so I was shocked,”said Mimi Bui.
“It’s a super safe neighborhood, and to hear something like that is really sad,” said Andrew Paton.
Investigators describe the crook being in his late 20s or early 30s, wearing a purple or blue shirt, khaki pants, dark sneakers and a green baseball cap. He is considered to be armed and dangerous, police said.
“It’s scary, because I live by myself, and I wonder, like, maybe I shouldn’t come here at night,” said Bui. “Maybe I should shop in the morning instead. I don’t know; it’s pretty disturbing.”
“It’s just scary to think that there’d be that bad people in these that would do something like that, so it’s really unfortunate,” said Paton.
It remains unclear what items the robber may have fled the scene with.
As the search for the shooter continues, shoppers hope he’s caught before he hurts anyone else in their tight-knit community.
“I’m concerned because I also know the workers here, and they’re lovely people and I hope they’re OK,” said Bui. “We’re like family here. It’s a very family community.”
If you have any information regarding this shooting or the subject’s whereabouts, you’re urged to call police or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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