A man believed to be the suspect in a series of armed robberies in Haines City and Osceola County has been arrested following a traffic crash, authorities said.
Late Friday night, Polk County sheriff's deputies managed to track down 42-year-old Clemente Gandy following an armed robbery at a Sunoco Gas Station at 35855 U.S. Highway 27 in Haines City.
Shortly after 9:30 p.m. Friday, the Sunoco on U.S. 27 was robbed, according to the Haines City Police Department. A suspect, identified as Gandy, pointed a handgun at a store employee and customers and demanded money from the registers. After the robbery, the bandit ran out of the convenience store.
Sheriff's deputies spotted a beige 1995 Chevy S10 pickup truck on Highway 17/92. The vehicle fled from deputies and crashed in the area of Ronald Reagan Parkway and Hwy 547.
Gandy was injured in the vehicle crash and taken to Osceola Medical Center for treatment.
The robbery at the Sunoco in Haines City was believed to be the seventh in a series of robberies in Haines City and Osceola County.
Gandy faces charges, including armed robbery, three counts of aggravated assault, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Additional charges are pending, Haines City Asst. Brian McNulty said in a news release.
