BRADENTON, Fla. - A shooting inside a Manatee County arcade early Monday morning sent one customer to the hospital and sparked a manhunt for the suspect.
The backstory:
According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, an unknown masked man entered Mega Arcade, located at 7321 U.S. 41 South, shortly after 5:45 a.m. on Monday and demanded cash from the customers inside.
One customer, according to investigators, refused to comply and got into a struggle with the suspect, who shot him several times at close range.
According to the public information officer for MCSO, the manager went into the office because the suspect wanted her to get more money. That’s where she grabbed a gun and fired one shot in the suspect’s direction.
Deputies said the suspect, who was not hit by the bullet, ran out of the arcade and took off.
The customer who was shot was taken to an area hospital, where he underwent surgery.
The suspect is described as a black man who is approximately six feet tall.
What they're saying:
"He came in here with a purpose," explained Randy Warren, MCSO public information officer. "He was going to try to take advantage of the fact that he knows that there are people with cash. These establishments also tend to have a lot of cash here on location, before they can get into the bank the next morning. It’s early, it’s before 6 a.m. Maybe he had been here before. Took a chance coming in to try and rob it."
"He goes right up to the customers and starts demanding cash," Warren noted. "Most of them did the smart thing and gave him the money. He probably would’ve just left, but he decided he was going to fight for the money to get it from this one guy who didn’t want to give up his cash and that’s when the shooting occurred."
What you can do:
Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to contact the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at (941) 747-3011. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward, contact Manatee County Crime Stoppers at (866) 634-TIPS or visit ManateeCrimeStoppers.com.
The Source: This article was written with information from a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office press release as well as an interview with Randy Warren, conducted by FOX 13’s Kimberly Kuizon.