Florida woman intentionally reversed car into man in wheelchair during robbery: affidavit
Photo: Cocoa Police Department
COCOA, Fla. - Two people were arrested over the weekend in connection to an alleged robbery that ended up with a man in a wheelchair nearly being run over, according to the Cocoa Police Department.
The alleged incident is said to have happened shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Sunday in the parking lot of Cash America Pawn on Cocoa Boulevard in Cocoa.
According to an arrest report, a man and woman walked into the store to pawn a television set. An employee at the pawn shop later told police that she recognized the woman as Jacqueline Bennett, described as a regular customer of the store. The employee also said Bennett exhibited "unusual" behavior while in the store, according to the arrest report.
After Bennett left the store, the employee said she heard a man screaming for help from the parking lot, yelling, "They robbed me!" according to the affidavit.
Police were called to investigate and obtained surveillance footage of the incident.
The video appeared to show a man snatching the wallet of another man who was in a wheelchair and then running toward Bennett’s car, police said. The video also appeared to show the man in the wheelchair grabbing a hold of the back of Bennett’s car, as Bennett was allegedly trying to back over him, the affidavit states.
The employee came outside and told Bennett to stop reversing her car, but the car struck the man in the wheelchair twice, police said. Bennett allegedly looked back as she attempted to reverse her car into the man and run him over while he was behind it, according to police. Moments later, Bennett pulled forward while the victim was still holding onto the back of her car, causing him to fall out of his wheelchair, police said.
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Police said Bennett sped off, driving northbound on U.S. Highway 1 but was later arrested. Also arrested was Timothy Willhite, whom police believe is the man who stole the victim's wallet.
According to the arrest report, police said Bennett "intentionally" and "maliciously" reversed her car into the man in the wheelchair, and had the employee not intervened, he may have died.
Bennett is charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, accessory after the fact second-degree felony, and abuse of the elderly or disabled without great harm. Willhite is facing three charges, including robbery by sudden snatch with firearm/weapon, abuse of elderly or disabled without great harm, and accessory after the fact capital felony.
Bennett and Willhite were booked into the Brevard County Jail and were granted bonds in the amounts of $60,000 and $15,000, respectively. They are both scheduled to appear in court on July 11.