SEBRING, Fla. — Police are searching for a group of four to five men who attempted to rob a woman sitting in her vehicle early Tuesday morning in Sebring.
Around 2:25 a.m., the woman told police she was sitting in her car in a parking lot near the intersection of Oak Avenue and South Pine Street when she was approached by a group of men.
One of the men pointed a gun at her, told her to get out of the vehicle and give him her purse and phone. Simultaneously, another masked man entered her vehicle from the passenger side door and began rummaging through her belongings inside the vehicle demanding her keys, phone and wallet, according to a release from the Sebring Police Department.
During this event, the woman was able to access her personal firearm which then led to a struggle between her, the first man who held her at gunpoint and the second man inside the vehicle.
The woman in the scuffle was able to fight both men off initially and, police say, as the armed man moved toward her, she discharged a round from her gun causing the group to flee the area.
The woman described the would-be thieves to police as a group of men wearing hoodies and masks. A K-9 track was initiated, but was unsuccessful, Sebring PD said.
Police also say the woman's shot did not strike any of the men who approached her car that early Tuesday morning.
This was not the only attempted vehicle burglary in the area, police report. In addition, Sebring Police Department received reports of vehicle burglaries in the Hickory Street and Eucalyptus Street area during the same timeframe as the incident described by the woman.
Detectives ask if anyone who lives in the area has video security cameras or video doorbell devices to contact Det. Stephen Williams at 863-471-5108 or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-8477.
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