VERO BEACH — Deputies are investigating an incident where an armed man in a wheelchair robbed a Family Dollar.
Deputies responded to the scene about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at the store in the 4400 block of 43rd Avenue, Vero Beach. They spoke with an employee, who told them she and her manager saw the man in the wheelchair in the back of the store.
She said the suspect made his way up to the register and asked for help getting potato chips. When the manager gave him the chips, the suspect got up from his wheelchair, pulled out a semi-automatic pistol and told the manager to lock the front door of the store.
He told the manager if she ran, he would shoot her, deputies said. The suspect tied up the employee and manager with zip ties by their hands and feet, but then untied the manager so she could help him open the cash registers and safe.
After getting the money, the suspect tied up the manager again and asked for the store key. He then fled the store with the key. The amount of money taken from the store was not immediately available.
The suspect is described as black, 35 years old and about 5 feet 11 inches tall. He has twisted dreads and was wearing a red shirt, black jeans and black hat.
One of the suspect’s feet was wrapped with a medical bandage and he was only wearing one shoe, the employee told deputies.