SEBASTIAN — Two suspects involved in a robbery at the Sebastian Winn-Dixie Monday night were arrested after a short pursuit during which they threw stacks of cash out the truck window.
Employees and at least one customer were forced into an office at gunpoint by a man armed with a handgun, according to Sebastian Police. The man was wearing a ski mask and ordered everyone turn over their cell phones, the arrest report shows.
The man demanded the employees fill his backpack with money, police said, and then he left the store and was picked up in the parking lot by an accomplice in a gold colored truck.
Officers found the vehicle upon arriving in the area and after a short pursuit with assistance of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, the suspects were apprehended.
While authorities chased the vehicle, the suspects began throwing stacks of the cash out the truck window, according to police.
The suspects have been identified as Brian Smith, 40, and David Holder, 24, both from Orlando.
Police determined Smith matched the description of the man who entered Winn-Dixie, making Holder the getaway driver, the arrest reports indicate.
Smith and Holder face charges of robbery with a firearm, grand theft, false imprisonment, and fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement.
No one was injured in the robbery, according to police. The gun was recovered on the bridge at the intersection of Barber Street and Concha Drive. It was fully loaded with a round in the chamber ready to fire, according to the police report.
