Local

Suspect in Mandarin convenience store robbery: 'Hurry the (expletive) up, I don't have all day'

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene of an armed robbery in the Mandarin area Tuesday night.

An Action News Jax crew went to the scene at the "Welcome Food Store" near the intersection of Loretto Road and Acosta Road.

RELATED: Jacksonville convenience store known as the luckiest lottery store in town

Action News Jax got exclusive surveillance video that shows a man in a gray hoodie walk into the store holding what appears to be a gun.

The Action News Jax crew at the scene was told the man held the employees at gunpoint and demanded cash.

In the footage you can hear him making demands for money. “Hurry the (expletive) up, I don’t have all day,” said the suspect. “Give me all the money, all the money. I’m not playin’.”

Neighbors and businesses in Mandarin are on edge after the armed robbery at this well-known convenience store.

Workers at the store talked exclusively to Action News Jax, imaging what the situation was like for their coworkers.

“I’m horrified, I’m horrified for what they must have went through, emotionally what they felt,” said Karen Reape, a morning manager at the food store. “I mean the shock of everything. What they’re feeling right now once everything calms down and the realization of it hits in.”

A JSO crime map revealed 31 records of violent crimes within a mile radius of the store in the past six months.

We told you on Oct. 25 when a stray bullet from a home invasion flew into a neighbor’s apartment.

On the Oct. 21 we reported a man had been shot and killed at the Avesta Apartment complex in Mandarin.

Sandra Webb has lived in Mandarin since the early 1980's. "We have a neighborhood watch on our street, but I'm sorry to see that it's becoming more prevalent," said Webb. 

JSO says no one was hurt.  Anyone with information is asked to call JSO at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477) to remain anonymous.