Man arrested after robbing car dealership employees, holding them against their will, stealing car and fleeing police

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

2 1 minute read

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Fort Walton Beach police say they arrested a man after he allegedly committed a series of crimes, starting with calls from employees about an active shooter at the Lee Nissan dealership.

Authorities said that around 6 a.m. they received several calls from Nissan employees regarding activity at the dealership on Miracle Strip Parkway. They said the suspect was described as a white man, with short blond hair, a light shirt, dark shorts and a black hat with a black gun.

The police were reportedly unable to locate the suspect on site and no employees were injured.

Officers said while searching the area, they found the suspect on Coral Drive. They said the suspect ran away from officers when they confronted him.

Police Department authorities said they then chased the suspect to the Thrifty storage facility on Santa Rosa Street, where they say the suspect forced a man out of a blue Chevrolet pickup truck under threat with a weapon, got into the truck and tried to flee. They said as they began pursuing the suspect in the stolen truck, the suspect crashed it into a fence on the warehouse property and fled.

Authorities say the suspect was located moments later behind another business on Hollywood Boulevard, where he was taken into custody without further incident. Police said the gun was inside the blue Chevrolet.

Police report that video surveillance from Lee Nissan shows the suspect burglarizing several vehicles on the property before entering the establishment, detaining employees against their will and stealing items before fleeing.

Fort Walton Beach police say the suspect is accused of robbery, kidnapping, carjacking, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, grand larceny, vehicle burglary (x4), fleeing and escape, and resisting arrest without violence.