Wheelchair-Bound Robber Caught On Tape

Man, Two Others Steal Thousands Worth Of Cigarettes

POSTED: 1:13 pm EDT July 18, 2005

UPDATED: 5:31 pm EDT July 18, 2005

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. -- A man in a wheelchair with casts on both legs and his two accomplices were caught on surveillance video stealing thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes from a gas station.Slideshow: Wheelchair-Bound Man Robs Gas StationBroward detectives said the men parked their car at a pump at the BP/ Amoco gas station located at 2099 State Road 7 near Fort Lauderdale at about 5:40 p.m. Wednesday. The wheelchair-bound robber and another man went to the rear of the store while the third man drove the car away.Detectives said that while all the employees were busy at the front of the station, the two men then went into a restricted storage area and used a large butcher knife to pry open the locked door of the manager's office. The men then stole 158 cartons of cigarettes worth more than $4,700 from the office. When they were through moving the cigarettes out of the office, the men use a cell phone to call the third man, who detectives said had been circling the area in the getaway car.The men loaded the cigarettes into the dark green, four-door sedan with dark tinted windows.The robbers are described as 18 to 25 years old. The wheelchair-bound man has bandages or a cast on one of his wrists or forearm and a cast on both of his legs.Anyone with information about the robbery may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 by calling Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at (954) 493-TIPS.--