Police look into similarities between an attempted armed robbery at the fairgrounds and a successful one at a McDonald's.
By DUANE BOURNE
Published December 4, 2003
BROOKSVILLE - The Police Department is investigating a possible link between an armed robbery and an attempted robbery that occurred three minutes apart Tuesday night.
According to police Chief Ed Tincher, the suspects involved in an attempted robbery at the Hernando County Fairgrounds and an armed robbery at a McDonald's minutes later had the same descriptions.
"We are certainly looking into that possibility," Tincher said Wednesday. "It was basically the same description for all the suspects."
About 7:38 p.m., a 49-year-old Alabama man who was auctioning tools at the fairgrounds was heading for a secluded area and noticed two men sitting in a Ford Taurus wearing black ski masks, Tincher said.
The driver, who was wearing a heavy green coat, pointed a small, black handgun out of the car window and demanded cash.
The suspects left after the salesman told them that an off-duty law enforcement officer attended the auction and was inside, Tincher said.
Minutes later, a man about 6 feet tall walked behind the counter at the McDonald's at 845 S Broad St., pointed a small handgun at the manager and demanded money. A shirt was wrapped around his face.
The manager gave him an undisclosed amount of cash from the safe. The suspect ran to the back door, which appeared to be locked.
He then ran through the front entrance to a late-model van. The van driver, who was wearing glasses, took off in an undisclosed direction, Tincher said.
