No arrests have been made and the investigation into the home invasion robbery of two AR-15 rifles from an Indialantic residence continues.
Indialantic Police Sergeant Mike Connor said the department is actively following up on leads and working to recover the rifles taken.
The incident occurred around 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 26 at the Indialantic Villas, 1145 N. Shannon Ave.
“The female resident was home sleeping when she heard a noise in the living room and got up to investigate, she turned the corner into the hallway and was confronted by a white male holding a knife,” Connor said.
“He grabbed her, pushed her into a bathroom and told her to stay in there for 10 minutes while he went into the master bedroom and stole two rifles from a bag in the closet,” he added.
The suspect, who wore a bandana on his face, is described as a white male in his mid to late 20s, approximately 5 feet, 9 inches tall, with a muscular build. He was wearing black T-shirt, blue jeans, and a baseball cap turned sideways. He also had a full sleeve tattoo on his right arm.
Connor said the woman stayed in the bathroom for several minutes until she heard the front door slam shut. When she came out, the man was gone, and the victim, who was not injured in the incident, called police.
Several agencies, including the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and police departments from Melbourne, Melbourne Beach and Indian Harbour Beach, assisted Indialantic officers in the search for the suspect.
“We established an outer perimeter around the location, with patrol cars and units to the north, south, east and west and then worked the inner perimeter,” Connor said.
Both Indialantic Elementary and Hoover Middle School were placed on lock-down for approximately 10 minutes. The lock-down ended when two K-9 units were brought in but were only able to perform a short track around the area. “A short track is indicative of the suspect getting in a vehicle and leaving immediately,” Connor said. “Once the K-9 got on scene and we saw nothing to track, or follow up on, a collective decision was made that the suspect had left the area.”
Some parents were alarmed when they received a phone call from their children’s school advising them the “lock-down” was over. Connor said his office spent the better part of that week fielding phone calls from parents and school officials.
According to Brevard County Schools Emergency Reference Guide, during a lock-down, all doors are ordered locked and no one is allowed in or out of a classroom or school until an all-clear directive is issued.
Eastminster Presbyterian Preschool in Indialantic was not notified of the situation or placed on lock-down, and some school officials expressed their concern about this to police.
“They were not put on lock-down because the incident was isolated to that singular apartment,” Connor said. “To mitigate any future concerns, we met with the director and assured school officials we always have their best interest at heart.”
“The meeting with Chief Casey, Sergeant Connor and Eastminster staff was an open discussion regarding our questions and expectations for any incidents in the future. Our concerns were heard, and the Indialantic PD will properly notify us in the future,” Rogers-Martin said. “Eastminster Presbyterian is dedicated to the safety and security of students, staff and all who engage in our many programs. We have a great police force in Indialantic, and Eastminster appreciates everything that they do for our church and community.”
Semiautomatic rifles, including the AR-15, were congressionally banned for 10 years, from 1994-2004. In March, the Florida Senate considered and briefly accepted a measure to ban the sale of AR-15 rifles, but it was quickly overturned. Earlier this year, in response to February’s deadly school shooting in Parkland, Gov. Rick Scott signed new gun control legislation, raising the age to purchase firearms to 21, and enacting a three-day waiting period on most sales. While regulations are in place for AR-15 rifles purchased in a store, including a background check, these rifles can also be purchased from a private seller, online or in-person, with no background check required. Connor said the two rifles in question were purchased from a private seller, and no laws were broken by the owner for storing them in a bag, in a closet, in the confines of their home. They are only required to be in a locked box or container if a minor could have access to them.
The AR-15 type semi-automatic rifle has been used in several mass shootings including the Las Vegas shooting last year and the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida earlier this year.
The Indialantic Police Department advises anyone with information about the crime to contact their department or if they wish to remain anonymous, call the Tip Line at 1-800-423-TIPS.
“We just want to get the information out there and generate more tips,” Connor said. “We follow up on every one of them.”