TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office detectives are looking for two suspects accused of robbing a Save a Lot and later shooting at deputies during a traffic stop.
"I'm grateful that our deputies and the employees at the Save a Lot were not harmed by these reckless and dangerous criminals," Sheriff Chad Chronister wrote in a statement. "I urge anyone with information to please contact the Sheriff's Office so that we may get these suspects off the street."
The robbery happened around 8:30 p.m. Sunday at a Save a Lot on W Fletcher Avenue in Tampa. The two men went into the store, filled up bags with groceries and tried to leave without paying, according to the sheriff's office. When confronted, one of the men threatened the employee with a shotgun, detectives said.
Then the two men ran from the store and jumped into a late '90s maroon Mercury Grand Marquis, the sheriff's office said in a news release. Two other people were in the front of the car, deputies said. The car sped from the store, heading west along West Fletcher Avenue.
Two deputies driving east along W Fletcher Avenue saw the Buick speeding without its lights on, the sheriff's office said. The deputies, who were unaware of the robbery, turned their emergency lights on and tried to pull the Buick over.
When they neared the intersection of West Fletcher Avenue and North Boulevard, the suspects shot at deputies with a shotgun out the back window, detectives said.
The deputies pulled over into a nearby bank parking lot to check for injuries and damage to their patrol car. Neither were hurt.
The sheriff's office aviation unit, K-9s and Tampa police responded to the scene to search for the suspects. The men have not yet been found.
One suspect is said to be around 30 years old, with short, dark hair and a thin build, according to deputies. He has face tattoos and was wearing a black hoodie with small clover print all over the sweatshirt.
The other is about 26 years old and was also described as having short, dark hair and a thin build. He has a cross tattoo on one of his cheeks and was wearing black jeans and a red, yellow and green-colored hoodie, the agency said.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office located the car mentioned in the investigation. However, no further information has been released.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at 813-247-8200. Anonymous tips can be given by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.