FORT MYERS, Fla. -- We are following breaking news out of Fort Myers early Tuesday, where Lee County deputies have cleared a robbery scene at a 7-Eleven store where a suspect was armed with a machete.
It happened around 3:15 a.m. at the store on McGregor Boulevard and Pine Ridge Road.
We were the first news media on scene.
According to Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers, the suspect entered the store holding a machete in one hand and a blue bag in the other. He immediately jumped over the counter and demanded cash from all the registers.
After the clerk complied and cleared the drawers of an undisclosed amount of cash, the masked man left the store and headed southbound on McGregor. The entire armed robbery took less than two minutes.
Anyone with information on the identity and whereabouts of the suspect is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477). All callers will remain anonymous and will be eligible for a cash reward of up to $3,000. Tips may also be made online at www.southwestfloridacrimestoppers.com or by submitting a tip on the P3Tips mobile app.
This robbery comes just more than 24 hours after a similar robbery at a Cape Coral 7-Eleven. The suspect in that robbery also wielded a machete. There's no word yet from authorities whether the two crimes are connected.
