KEYSTONE HEIGHTS, Fla. – A convenience store owner was injured Tuesday morning when he was attacked by a would-be robber, according to Clay County deputies.
According to the Sheriff's Office, the owner of Keystone Tobacco Express on State Road 100 was attacked by a man who choked the victim to the point he lost consciousness.
Deputies said the man then tried to rob the store, but the store owner regained consciousness and chased the man.
The suspect got away and deputies are still actively searching for him.
Late Tuesday, the Sheriff's Office released surveillance photos of the man, who appeared to have dark balding hair, unshaven with a goatee. A witness described him as between 5 feet 6 and 9 inches tall. He was wearing a gray hoodie, cargo shorts and tennis shoes.
The store clerk said the man was a regular at the store and often accompanied by a 4- or 5-year-old boy.
Locals like Wesley Withrow said they aren't surprised by what happened because things in the area can be kind of rough.
"High Ridge is kind of rough man. That's the little neighborhood back here. So it is rough a little bit. You never know what's going to happen," Withrow said.
News4jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said all is not lost for this section of Keystone Heights though. Smith said neighbors can get proactive and work with the Sheriff's Office setting up groups like neighborhood watches to cut down on crime.
"The first thing to do is get with the Clay County Sheriff's Office and try to get a neighborhood watch program. Not only in that park but in the surrounding area. Get together and get with the CCSO, that way they can get information on other crimes in their area. Because there are probably other crimes that are just not reported," Smith said.
To get more information on how to contact the Clay County Sheriff's Office, people can head to their community policing section of their website.
Anyone with information about the robbery or who recognizes the man in the photos above is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 904-264-6512 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.