Off-duty officer captures robbery suspect

Man in custody after robbing food mart

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office caught a man they said robbed a food mart in the Springfield area Wednesday night.

Police said they received a robbery alarm from the Paradise Food Mart on North Laura Street just before 9 p.m. Wednesday. An off-duty officer responded to the robbery and as he arrived, he saw the suspect running from the store.

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The off-duty officer chased the man and caught up with him about four blocks away from the store, tased the man and took him into custody.

JSO said during the robbery the man held his hand under his shirt, insinuating that he had a gun. There was a brief scuffle with the female clerk in front of the store before he ran out with a small amount of money. The female clerk was not injured.

JSO said the man did not have a weapon when he was arrested, but they are searching the area to see if the suspect possibly threw the weapon away while he was running from the off-duty officer.

News4Jax will update this story as soon as more information becomes available.