LAND O'LAKES - A man snatched cash from a restaurant car hop, then smiled before driving into a man and knocking him down while fleeing Wednesday night, authorities said.
Pasco County sheriff's deputies are searching for a young man accused of aggravated battery and robbery.
The incident took place at 9:10 p.m. at the Sonic restaurant on Collier Parkway, according to a Sheriff's Office report. The victim, a 17-year-old Wesley Chapel girl, was working as a car hop, the report said, when the man asked for change for a $100 bill. When the girl pulled out her money, the report said, the robber grabbed it and said "beat it."
The girl called for help. A 55-year-old Lutz man followed the robber to his car, an older, light blue Mitsubishi compact with a racing stripe and a distinct hump on the hood. The man stood in front of the car and told the robber to get out, the report said, but instead "the suspect smiled at him, placed the car into gear and drove forward," striking the man. The man fell off the car's hood, several witnesses said, and the vehicle sped away.
A description of the vehicle was broadcast, the report said, but sheriff's deputies could not locate it. The man who was hit declined medical attention.
The robber was described as white, about 5-8 to 5-9, with a medium build, about 18-25 years old, with short, dark hair, a mustache and goatee and wearing a white tank top and dark long pants.
