Vero News > All News > News > Vero Beach man charged in attempted armed robbery at Snappy Food Store

Vero Beach man charged in attempted armed robbery at Snappy Food Store

Written by: September 02 2025
facebook twitter pinterest linkedin
PHOTO BY NICK SAMUEL

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A 26-year-old Vero Beach man was jailed over the weekend after deputies said he pulled a knife on a customer at Snappy Food Store and demanded his wallet.

“The victim fought back so (the suspect) never got his wallet,” said Lt. Kevin Jaworski, a spokesperson for the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. “The victim was not injured.”

Matthew Zackery Evans PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

On Saturday, Indian River County deputies arrested Matthew Zackery Evans, 26, of the 1500 block of 15th Avenue, on a charge of attempted robbery with a weapon. Evans was held Tuesday at the Indian River County Jail without bond.

The incident happened August 28 at Snappy Food Store in the 1100 block of Old Dixie Highway, just south of the Vero Beach city limits. Dispatchers received a call just before 1 p.m. where the caller said someone tried to stab and rob him, Jaworski said.

The customer said he was in the convenience store when a man, later identified as Evans, grabbed him around the neck and brandished a knife. Evans demanded the customer’s wallet, according to Jaworski.

When the customer fought back, Evans left the store, got on his bicycle and fled the area. Deputies set up a perimeter to search for Evans, but he was not immediately located.

“Our criminal investigations detectives and crime scene processed the scene. They were able to obtain clear photographs of the suspect from the store surveillance cameras,” Jaworski said. “Detectives were able to identify the suspect as 26-year-old Matthew Evans.”

Detectives conducted surveillance on Evans’ house. The detectives conducted a traffic stop on Evans’ vehicle when he drove from the residence, Jaworski said.

Evans was booked into the Indian River County Jail. Evans was ordered to not have any contact with the victim.

Evans has an arraignment at 8:45 a.m. Oct. 16, court records show.

facebook twitter pinterest linkedin
+100%-

Related Articles

Stolen vehicle leads to hours-long standoff at Sebastian home

SEBASTIAN — SWAT team officials and crisis negotiators found a man hiding in an attic at a home on Monday after reports linking him to a stolen pickup truck out of Osceola County, officials said. The man barricaded himself in the residence, leading to a six-hour standoff with deputies, said Lt. Kevin Jaworski, a spokesperson for the Indian River County Sheriff's Office. "Due to his extensive criminal history and previous statements that he would get into a shootout before going back to jail, SWAT and crisis negotiators were deployed," Jaworski said. Keith Monroe Rodgers, 37, of the 400 block of Melrose Lane, Sebastian, was charged with grand theft auto and resisting an officer without violence. Rodgers was held Tuesday at ...

Three charged with drug trafficking in undercover probes

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Three Vero Beach area men were arrested on a variety of charges - including trafficking cocaine - after months-long investigations into complaints of drug sales, reports show. One of the probes involved agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Jonathan Elwood Hillsman, 41, of the 2100 block of 42nd Street, was charged with three counts of trafficking cocaine 28 grams or more; four counts of sell, manufacture, or deliver or possess with intent to sell a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a place of worship; three counts of unlawful use of a two-way communications device; and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. Andrew Jonathan Jones Jr., 43, of the 1900 block of 19th Street, was ...
0aa4946c 2933 4b0d 9319 627932a431f2 (1)

Suspected drug package washes ashore at Round Island Beach Park

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A package suspected to contain cocaine - and weighing more than a kilogram - washed ashore along Round Island Beach Park last month, deputies said. It was unclear where the bundle originated. "The substance has not been identified, but the size, wrappings and look are consistent with illegal narcotics," said Kevin Jaworski, a spokesperson for the Indian River County Sheriff's Office. The discovery happened during a beach cleanup event hosted by Coastal Connections, an environmental nonprofit based in Vero Beach. The event was part of an international coastal cleanup, where more than 1,000 volunteers gathered at 25 different sites and removed about 4,000 pounds of trash from Indian River County's beaches, coastlines and waterways. Some of ...

Comments are closed.