Crime & Safety
Man Caught After Carjacking 82-Year-Old Victim, Detectives Say
The St. Petersburg man's first carjacking attempt at a Sweetbay Supermarket was foiled by a 54-year-old mom, according to detectives.
When a St. Petersburg man's carjacking attempt of a local mom failed Tuesday, detectives say, he turned instead to an 82-year-old victim.
He still didn't get away with it.
The incidents started around 3:30 p.m. in the parking lot of a Sweetbay Supermarket at 10370 Seminole Blvd., Seminole. Detectives say 37-year-old Anthony Eugene Sutton approached a 54-year-old mother and her children and pointed a gun at her.
The woman was able to run away with her children and the keys to her car, according to a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office report.
The suspect then approached a 2003 Buick parked just outside the Sweetbay, where an 82-year-old man was waiting for his wife to come out of the store.
Detectives say Sutton tapped on the driver's side window, pointed a gun at the man and ordered him out of the car. The man got out, and Sutton took off in the Buick.
An undercover detective later spotted a vehicle matching the description in the area of Clearwater-Largo Road and Mehlenbacher Road, authorities said. Patrol units began a chase, aided by a sheriff's helicopter.
Sutton eventually got out of the car at Gladys Street and 19th Street in Largo, fleeing on foot. He was caught shortly after that, officials said.
Sutton was arrested and charged with carjacking, attempted carjacking and felony fleeing and eluding.
No injuries were reported. The investigation is ongoing.
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