TAMPA, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said early Monday morning that detectives are searching for two men who robbed a Save A Lot and then shot at deputies during a traffic stop.
Around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, authorities said the two men entered the store on W. Fletcher Avenue and filled up bags with groceries. An employee confronted them when they tried to leave but one of the men showed the employee a shotgun.
Authorities said the men ran outside and jumped into a car with two people inside, which then sped away.
Minutes later, two deputies in a marked patrol car saw the speeding vehicle, which didn't have its light on, and attempted a traffic stop. The sheriff's office said the deputies didn't know there were armed robbery suspects inside at that time.
The sheriff's office said the suspects shot at the deputies with a shotgun through the back window. The deputies pulled over to check for injuries and damage to their vehicle.
Neither deputy was injured, the sheriff's office said. The department's aviation unit and K9 units responded to the area to help with the search.
The suspects, described as two Hispanic men, are still at large.
Suspect one description:
- Around 30 years old, face tattoos, short dark hair, thin build, wearing a black hoodie with small clover print on it
Suspect two description:
- Around 26 years old, a tattoo of a cross on one of his cheeks, short dark hair, thin build, wearing black jeans and a colorful red, yellow and green hoodie.
The sheriff's office said the vehicle the men left in is an older model maroon Buick, late 90s to early 2000s, with dark tinted windows. Authorities said there may be damage to the right rear quarter panel of the vehicle and there is likely rear window damage from the suspects shooting at deputies.
"I'm grateful that our deputies and the employees at the Save a Lot were not harmed by these reckless and dangerous criminals," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "I urge anyone with information to please contact the Sheriff's Office so that we may get these suspects off the street."
If you have any information about this incident, please call the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at 813-247-8200. You can also report and share information anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477 (TIPS).
