Grady Judd: Suspect who tried to rob Davenport man with fake gun shot and killed outside motel
DAVENPORT, Fla. - Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says a pre-planned robbery with a fake gun outside a Davenport motel turned deadly for the suspect late Tuesday evening.
Deputies with the Polk County Sheriff's Office said the shooting happened in the parking lot of the Tropicana Resort Motel at 43420 Hwy 27 just before midnight. Sheriff Judd gave details on the shooting during a Wednesday afternoon news conference.
The sheriff said the robbery victim, Christian MacDonald, called his drug dealer, Robert Rafael Cruceta Pimentel, to buy an eighth of an ounce of marijuana. Cruceta Pimentel agreed and met up with MacDonald at the motel, according to detectives.
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The victim and Cruceta Pimentel got in the car together and negotiated a deal for the marijuana, but officials said Harold Sepulveda-Cruz was also waiting nearby at a convenience store. Once Cruceta Pimentel got in the car with the victim, Sepulveda-Cruz jumped in the back of the car behind MacDonald.
The sheriff's office said Sepulveda-Cruz stuck a fake gun made with a screwdriver and a piece of wood to the back of the victim's head and started hitting him with it. MacDonald pleaded with Cruz not to shoot him, but the suspect demanded the marijuana and money, according to authorities.
That's when MacDonald reached into his pocket and pulled out a 9mm handgun and shot behind him 10 times toward the suspect, Sheriff Judd said. The suspect was hit by the gunfire and killed.
MacDonald and Cruceta Pimentel got out of the vehicle, and deputies said Cruceta Pimentel eventually grabbed the fake gun and marijuana and threw it over the fence at the motel.
MacDonald then called 911 to report the robbery and the shooting, according to Judd.
"If our robber, Harold Cruz, as the information came to us, was high on drugs that night and needing to hit a lick for a quick fix, if his buddy had just loaned him $100, he'd still be alive today," Judd said Wednesday afternoon. "So while Robert had $900 in his pocket, he sat there while Harold got shot over a $140 and an eighth of an ounce of marijuana."
Cruceta Pimentel has been charged with second-degree murder and felony murder as well as nine additional charges, the Polk County sheriff confirmed. He was denied bond.
Despite the drug deal, Sheriff Judd said MacDonald has not been charged with a crime. It's possible that "stand your ground" does apply to this case, but the investigation remains active.
While MacDonald does have previous arrests, he is not a convicted felon, and under Florida's new Permitless Carry Law, he was legally carrying the handgun at the time of the shooting, according to the sheriff.
Sepulveda-Cruz, who was killed, did not have a criminal history prior to the incident.