Lakeland armed robber attacked 77-year-old gas station clerk, deputies say
LAKELAND, Fla. (FOX 13) - Polk County deputies are looking for a man they say roughed up a 77-year-old convenience store clerk early Monday morning.
“I want you to pretend this woman is your grandmother because she is someone’s grandmother,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said as he explained what the woman went through. “To say I am outraged is an understatement.”
She was working the overnight shift at the Circle K on North Galloway Road when a man came in around 2 a.m. with a pocketknife.
Detectives say he threatened the woman with the knife, pushed her to the ground, grabbed money out of the till, and then pushed her down a second time me on the way out.
After the guy took off, the woman breathlessly called 911.
“I don’t know if he busted my lip when he pushed me down. It just hurts,” she told the dispatcher.
“Are the doors locked?" the operator asked.
“I locked the doors as soon as he walked out,” the woman explained.
The clerk was shaken, but not seriously hurt.
When all was said and done, investigators discovered that the intruder had only gotten away with a few rolls of quarters.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Anderson at 863-298-6200. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Heartland Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-226-8477 or going online www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com.
The full surveillance video issued by the Polk County Sheriff's Office can be viewed below: