Robbery Detectives are seeking to locate and identify  a suspect responsible for shooting one individual during the robbery of an armored car employee at the K-Mart located at 4717 S. Florida Ave. in Lakeland. At approximately 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 3, 2001 the suspect entered the Kmart through the Garden Center entrance, walked through the store to the customer service counter, and approached an employee of Loomis Fargo, Andrew Masiahdas, DOB 3/15/54 of 13904 20th St. Apt. B in Tampa. The suspect and Masiahdas briefly struggled as the suspect reached for the money bag being carried by Masiahdas and Masiahdas's handgun. 

After obtaining both the handgun and money bag, the suspect ran through Kmart toward the garden center. As the suspect reached the garden center, the garden center manager, John Pearcy, DOB 7/14/42 of 3624 Lazy Lake Dr. in Lakeland, met him in the aisle. The suspect demanded Pearcy to move out of his way. As Pearcy was complying with the suspects' request and moving to the side, he was shot one time in the upper left shoulder. Pearcy was transported to Lakeland Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

The suspect fled through the garden shop and got into a maroon Nissan Pathfinder with Florida license plate ME007R. The final number is not known. The suspect fled Kmart and proceeded to travel northbound on South Florida Ave. The suspect began driving erratically, running red lights and weaving in and out of traffic. An off-duty Osceola County Deputy Sheriff noticed the erratic driver and began to follow the Pathfinder. The Pathfinder turned west onto the Polk County Parkway with the off-duty deputy still following in a 2000 Chevy truck. As both vehicles were traveling west, the Pathfinder slowed down and the Chevy passed it.

 
After the Chevy passed the Pathfinder, the suspect rolled down the drivers window and fired at least 4 shots into the back of the Chevy truck. No one in the truck was injured. The suspect continued traveling west after the shooting. 

The suspect is described as a black male, 6'1, 160 pounds with a thin build, last seen wearing a red jersey type shirt, black shorts, black high top sneakers, and a baseball hat. 

 A reward of up to $1,000 may be awarded for information leading to the arrest or indictment of a suspect or suspects. Anyone with information is asked to contact Polk County Crime Stoppers at
1-800-226-TIPS.
Anonymity is Guaranteed!