Michael Landers, a local gay resident, was robbed at gunpoint near the intersection of 7th Avenue and 20th Drive in Wilton Manors, Fla. Several expensive homes are being built in the neighborhood, which is near the Shoppes of Wilton Manors. (Photo by Phil LaPadula)
The robbery suspects have been seen driving a silver or gray SUV, possibly a Durango. They drive up close to pedestrians and exit the vehicle before robbing them.
Suspect No. 1: black male, 6 feet 2 inches tall, 170 pounds, dread-lock style hair, long white T-shirt and khaki shorts, in his mid-30s.
Suspect No. 2: black male, 6 feet 2 inches tall, 170 pounds, wearing a T-shirt with the
number 7 on the front of it, light-colored shorts, in his mid-30s.
Wilton Manors Police Department: 954-390-2150.
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By PHIL LaPADULA
Friday, January 06, 2006
Two armed robberies of pedestrians and one attempted armed robbery occurred in Wilton Manors within a two-day period before the Christmas holiday, police said. The same suspects may be responsible for all of the crimes, police believe.
One of the robberies occurred at about 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 24, a couple of blocks from the Shoppes of Wilton Manors in an upscale neighborhood where several expensive multi-story houses are being built.
Michael Landers, a local gay resident, had just left Boom nightclub and was walking east down 7th Avenue, which borders the Shoppes parking lot on the north side.
As he approached the intersection of 7th Avenue and 20th Drive, a gray or silver SUV came speeding around the corner with its lights off, Landers recalled. Three black males got out of the SUV and approached him.
One of the men pointed a black handgun at his head and ordered him to lie down in the street, Landers said. The robbers then demanded his money and belongings. They took his cell phone and $30 in cash, Landers said.
Landers said he was unable to cancel his cell phone service until Tuesday, Dec. 27, because of the holiday. When he contacted Sprint, his cell phone company, he was informed that calls were made on his phone after it was stolen. A police spokesperson said detectives are likely to examine those cell phone records.
Sgt. Dominic Raimondi, head of the operations division for the Wilton Manors Police Department, confirmed that two similar robbery incidents occurred in town on Dec. 23 and 24.
At about a quarter after 1 a.m. on Dec. 23, a pedestrian was robbed in the 2000 block of Wilton Drive, just north of the Dairy Queen. In that case, the victim was approached from behind and pushed to the ground before he was robbed, Raimondi said.
And at about 11 p.m. on Dec. 24, an attempted armed robbery occurred at the 2300 block of 5th Avenue, which is west of Wilton Drive. The victim in that case recalled seeing an extended arm pointing at him but did not see if the hand was holding a gun. He turned and ran away without giving the thieves any money, Raimondi said.
Raimondi said all three of the incidents involved black male suspects in an SUV-type vehicle. He said the vehicle drives up close to the victims and the suspects exit and demand money.
Based on descriptions, police think the vehicle may be a silver Durango SUV, Raimondi said.
“The suspects are targeting men walking alone,” Raimondi said. “There’s a lot of foot traffic because of all the bars on Wilton Drive.”
He urged people to be aware of their surroundings while walking down the street.
Landers said he received a cell phone call just before he was robbed.
“It did distract me,” he said. “The next thing I knew, [the robbers] were approaching me.”
Phil LaPadula can be reached at plapadula@expressgaynews.com.
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