Port St. Lucie - Monday May 1, 2023: 18-year-old Reginald Mitchell of Port St. Lucie has been arrested and charged with the armed carjacking of a elderly man.
It happened last Friday evening, April 28, in a Publix parking lot in the 700 block of SE Becker Road. PSLPD got the call at 6:23 pm.
According to a release from PSLPD, an 81-year-old man was sitting in his vehicle in front of the Publix when a man armed with a gun, got in the back seat, threatened him with the weapon, and ordered him to drive away.
When they reached a nearby neighborhood, the suspect then forced the victim to get out of his car. He then got into the driver's seat and fled the area in the stolen car, leaving the elderly man behind. The victim was not injured.
The 81-year-old knocked on a local resident’s door and asked for a ride back to Publix where he called 911.
Officers immediately issued a BOLO and notified surrounding agencies. A short while later, the Stuart Police Department observed the vehicle in their jurisdiction and apprehended the suspect.
Mitchell has been charged with armed carjacking, robbery with a weapon, and false imprisonment.
Detectives Arrest Suspect for Armed Carjacking of Elderly Man in Publix Parking Lot. At 6:23pm on Friday, PSLPD responded to the 700-Blk of SE Becker Rd for an armed robbery of an 81-year-old victim sitting in his vehicle in front of Publix. The suspect entered the backseat and… pic.twitter.com/QAJL7LEzDx
— Port St. Lucie PD (@PSLPolice) May 1, 2023