Tampa Police is seeking the public's assistance in identifying and locating a suspect accused of grand theft at a Wawa convenience store in Tampa.
On Wednesday a representative from Loomis Armored Security was servicing an ATM inside the Wawa located at 1760 W. Hillsborough Ave. when he removed the money from the ATM, placed it in a clear bag, and sealed it. The Loomis representative then put the bag next to him while he continued to service the ATM. Shortly after, the suspect grabbed the bag full of U.S. currency and fled the store.
The suspect jumped the eight foot PVC fence on the south side of the Wawa. Tampa Police canine and patrol officers arrived on scene to establish a perimeter south of the Wawa.
The K9 unit tracked the suspect to a house on N. Alexander Rd., which is directly south of the Wawa. But was not found inside the residence after it was searched.
Two hours after the incident, information from a witness was obtained that the suspect possibly ran south on Alexander Rd. Mendenhall Elementary School is within a block of the Wawa and was briefly locked down for security reasons.
The suspect is described as a black male, 5'8"-5'10", light complexion, medium build. He was last seen wearing baggie dark blue clothing with a hoodie, green reflective traffic vest, and white boots
Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the suspect in this case. Anyone with any information regarding this case and who wants to be eligible for a cash reward is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477), report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com or send a mobile tip using our P3 Tips mobile application, which is a free download for iPhones, iPads, and Droids.
