Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Police seek witnesses in choking death case

After almost a month, detectives are still investigating a fight at a McDonald's in Land O'Lakes.

By BREANNE GILPATRICK
Published May 18, 2005

Almost a month has passed since a 21-year-old Land O'Lakes man was choked to death early one Sunday morning outside a Land O'Lakes McDonald's, but Pasco County sheriff's detectives still have questions about the fight that resulted in his death.

Investigators announced Tuesday that they are looking for two potential witnesses of the fight outside the restaurant near U.S. 41 that left Anthony Makowski dead last month. Using images from a restaurant surveillance videotape, detectives released photos of two men who they think saw the dispute that ended in Makowski's April 24 asphyxiation death, sheriff's spokesman Doug Tobin said.

"It's just at that point that the detectives felt that they had covered all the areas that they could," Tobin said. "And now they're turning to the media for help."

Detectives have been reviewing the surveillance videotape and other witness testimony for almost a month to determine what motivated the fight, examining whether the other man involved acted in self-defense.

While detectives search for the two men, state prosecutors officially began their review of the case, which they received Tuesday, Tobin said.

Sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll said in April that the complexities of the case likely would result in additional scrutiny from the State Attorney's Office.

Assistant State Attorney Phil Van Allen said Monday it remains unclear if any charges will be filed.

Makowski, 3615 Greatwood Court, died about 4:30 a.m. April 24 after a fight broke out in the 24-hour drive-through lane of the restaurant. The fight ended when Makowski was placed in a choke hold that lasted as long as three minutes, rendering him unconscious.

In the days after the fight, Martin Robles-Taylor, 25, confirmed he was the other individual involved in the dispute. Robles-Taylor declined to comment Tuesday on the developments in the case.

The photos released Tuesday show two men who Tobin said were thought to have been in the drive-through where the fight began. He said from what he knows, the men weren't interviewed during the initial investigation because they were no longer on the scene when deputies arrived. But in the original image, the fight is visible just to the side of one witness, Tobin said.

The Sheriff's Office is asking these men or anyone who knows them to contact Detective Bryan Gardner at 1-800-854-2862.

Tobin said obtaining this witness testimony will help detectives get a more complete picture of what happened.

"We just want to make sure we cover all areas," Tobin said.

[Last modified May 18, 2005, 12:32:47]