Deltona, FL - A daring move by the victims of an armed robbery in Deltona leads to 3 men in handcuffs, including the one who allegedly pointed a gun at a 2-year-old child.
38-year-old Christopher Watson, 28-year-old Andrew Mielniczek and 26-year-old Aaron Voss were all booked at Volusia County Jail hours after that robbery Friday in Deltona.
Deltona High School was briefly locked down while deputies searched for and caught the suspects, according to Volusia County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Gary Davidson.
"The incident began at around 11:50 AM when an armed stranger hopped into a sport utility vehicle parked in the Winn Dixie plaza on Howland Boulevard," Davidson stated. "There were 2 women and a child in the SUV."
The victims told deputies the man - believed to be Voss - pointed a gun at the child and demanded that the women hand over their jewelry and personal belongings, according to Davidson.
"The victims got into a tussle with the suspect after he grabbed one of their cell phones, prompting the suspect to jump out of the vehicle and run to a waiting pickup truck occupied by 2 people," Davidson noted. "As the pickup truck fled the scene on Howland Boulevard, the victims gave chase in their SUV, jumped a median and rammed the truck a few hundred yards away from the original crime scene."
All 3 suspects got away on foot at that point before VCSO arrived, but all 3 were caught within 30 minutes thanks to a search of the area by deputies and K-9 units.
"The child wasn’t hurt," Davidson added. "The 2 adult victims and the suspects all sustained minor injuries. None of the injuries, however, were serious enough to require immediate medical treatment."
Voss - a Deltona resident - is charged with robbery with a firearm, child abuse and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He's held on a $80,000 bond at VCJ.
Watson & Mielniczek - from Deltona and DeBary, respectively - are each charged with principal to robbery with a firearm and held on a $50,000 bond at VCJ.
All 3 men have prior bookings at VCJ, according to jail records.
Christopher Watson
Andrew Mielniczek
Aaron Voss
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