JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two men are in custody after a series of armed robberies targeting food trucks and a restaurant in Jacksonville, the last of which ended in a shooting.
Bronquell Hutchinson and Isaac Rodriguez each face multiple charges, including armed robbery and attempted murder.
Edwin Osorto works at Tipicos Antojitos, a food truck located off University Boulevard that has operated for about 11 years. He was helping to close up for the night when the robbery happened.
“We was about to closed the door, they came and they’re pointing me at the gun,” Osorto said. “And so they was asking for the money.”
Osorto said the robbers demanded money from him five times, but he did not reveal where it was kept.
“They didn’t find nothing,” he said. “They take the phone.”
After the robbery, Osorto called his family member, who is also the owner of the food truck. According to Osorto, his brother spotted the suspects — and that is when the situation turned violent.
“When he stopped at the light, they were shooting on him,” Osorto said.
The owner’s truck was caught in the shootout that followed the robbery. News4JAX saw about 10 bullet holes on the vehicle stored near the restaurant. Osorto said he heard all 10 gunshots from down the street.
“It was kind of scary because they’re shooting him,” Osorto said.
According to an arrest report for Hutchinson, which lists Rodriguez as a co-defendant, officers were responding to a separate armed robbery at a business on Fort Caroline Road on May 21 when the incident at Tipicos occurred. The owner of that business was not available to speak on camera.
The two men are also charged in connection with a May 19 robbery at Tacos Locos, a food truck on Powers Avenue. According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, that incident unfolded similarly to the other two.
Hutchinson and Rodriguez were taken into custody following the string of incidents. Osorto said the arrests brought him relief.
“It’s great because they’re not going to be robbing more people,” he said.