Tampa Police Nab Suspect in Hillsborough Convenience Store Robbery Spree

Tampa Police Department detectives apprehended the 28-year-old suspect following a series of armed robberies targeting convenience stores across Hillsborough County. The crimes, spanning the past month, included a brazen daylight heist on August 9, 2024, at 29th Street Grocery Store at 2802 N. 29th St. in East Tampa, where the gunman threatened the clerk and fled northbound on a bicycle.[1][3] No injuries were reported, but the incidents heightened fears in local neighborhoods like Ybor City and surrounding areas. Surveillance video released by Tampa police captured the suspect in a black t-shirt with white lettering pulled over his head, gray camouflage shorts, black Nike slides, and a visible abdominal scar.[1][3] This matched descriptions from multiple robberies, including those involving 7-Eleven stores indicted against four suspects in August 2024.[4] The arrest disrupts what investigators described as an organized pattern, with firearms brandished in several cases, echoing a July 2024 federal plea by Ronald Brown, 24, for similar Tampa store robberies.[2] Hillsborough County residents, from East Tampa's working-class streets to bustling Ybor, breathed relief after the capture. Tampa Police urge tips via 813-231-6130 or Crime Stoppers at 800-873-TIPS.[1][3] The suspect faces multiple felony charges, with federal involvement possible given prior cases using firearms in local robberies.