Armed thief flees quickly from attempted 7-11 heist
A man brandished a gun at the Driftwood 7-11 on Tuesday night, asking for money. But when the clerk stepped back from the register, the would-be robber immediately “threw up his hands and ran out the door,” according to the store’s manager.
The incident occurred at 9:08 p.m., manager Tony Harding said. He said police arrived at 9:11 p.m. but the suspect was already gone. He remains at large.
“The employee didn’t panic and did everything right,” said Harding of the clerk, who was working alone. “We’ve never had an incident like this in my three years as manager and I’ve never heard of one happening in the store’s history.”
The store was established in the 1980s, Harding believes. It is located at 6221 Estero Blvd.
According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect is believed to be a white male who is 20 to 30 years old. He produced a black semi-automatic handgun.
Tuesday’s search included use of a helicopter.
If you have information, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-8477.