Florida thug accused of bashing woman's head with hammer, killing her, in horrific attack outside convenience store

A 40-year-old Florida male is accused of hitting a woman in the head with a hammer and killing her in a horrific attack recorded on surveillance video outside a Fort Myers gas station convenience store Thursday morning.

Rolbert Joachin is charged with homicide and criminal mischief for damaging property in the 8 a.m. incident, WINK-TV reported.

'Very gut-wrenching ... very sad. That's someone's mom, daughter, sister.'

Several gas station employees told Gulf Coast News the victim was a clerk at the business.

Store surveillance video shows the suspect smashing a car windshield, Gulf Coast News said, adding that store employees said the vehicle belonged to the victim.

Video then shows the woman coming outside — and the suspect approaching her and hitting her in the head with the hammer, Gulf Coast News said.

The below video report from Gulf Coast News shows the surveillance video but blocks out the hammer attack on the victim.

The suspect then ran from the scene, after which three nearby schools were placed on brief lockdown, WINK said.

After a multi-hour search, police captured Joachin about a mile from the convenience store, the station said, adding that an arrest photo shows two officers detaining him in a neighborhood.

Arrest video also shows officers walking Joachin in handcuffs and placing him in the back of a police cruiser, WINK said. Joachin was taken to the Lee County Jail where he remained Friday morning. His jail record lists no bond and refers to Joachin as a transient.

Joachin's court appearance was set for 8:30 a.m. Friday but was postponed to Monday after Joachin's public defender requested a date change, which the judge granted, WINK reported.

The Gulf Coast News video report said the victim was the mother of two teenagers.

Andre Harris, a gas station regular, told Gulf Coast News the incident was "very gut-wrenching ... very sad. That's someone's mom, daughter, sister."

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Armed male enters Florida home, won't leave — then threatens homeowner while advancing toward him. But victim also is armed.

An armed male recently entered a Florida home and refused to leave — and then threatened the homeowner while advancing toward him, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office said.

But the homeowner had a gun on hand — and used it.

'Stand your ground, baby!'

The sheriff's office in a Tuesday news release said deputies responded to reports of shots fired in the 5400 block of Touraine Drive around 9:40 p.m. Feb. 6 and discovered a male suffering from a gunshot wound at the scene. The incident occurred in Tallahassee.

Detectives determined the male in question entered the home uninvited and refused to leave after the homeowner's repeated requests, officials said.

What's more, the male then threatened the homeowner with a weapon while advancing toward him, officials said.

With that, the homeowner used a semiautomatic handgun to fire a single shot at the male, which struck him, officials said.

The male was taken to a hospital in critical condition, officials said.

After an investigation, deputies identified and arrested 42-year-old Scott Scruggs on charges of burglary of a structure while armed and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, officials said.

Scott Scruggs. Image source: Leon County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office

Scruggs remained hospitalized following the incident and was taken into custody upon his release from the hospital, officials said, adding that Scruggs is now behind bars in the Leon County Detention Facility.

Jail records indicate there is no release date assigned to Scruggs; there is no bond for his burglary charge; his bond for his aggravated assault charge is $2,500.

Jail records also note Scruggs has a long criminal history dating back to 2008 filled with charges that include battery, trespassing, criminal mischief, burglary, resisting arrest, theft, reckless driving, and drug possession.

Commenters under the sheriff's office Facebook post about the incident seemed to approve of the homeowner's actions:

"Stand your ground, baby!" one commenter declared.
"Good job homeowner!!" another user exclaimed.
"FAFO," another commenter stated.
"Sounds to me like he should have left," another user noted. "Good for the homeowner protecting their home."

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Florida thug accused of fatally shooting 2-year-old in head as mother held him in her arms amid argument over a phone

A 21-year-old Florida male is accused of fatally shooting a 2-year-old boy in the head as his mother held him amid an argument with the suspect over a phone, according to an arrest report WJXT-TV obtained.

A witness told police that Steven Dodson Jr. and the mother were arguing “about a phone” outside at the Valencia Way Apartments in Jacksonville late Sunday night, the station said, citing the arrest report. Dodson is the mother's boyfriend, WJXT said.

'We is hurting, ‘cause that baby didn’t deserve none of that.'

The witness told police Dodson followed the mother back inside and “into the same room as the children," the station said, citing the arrest report.

The mother told police Dodson locked the bedroom door behind them, got a gun off a shelf in the bedroom closet, and then fired a shot at her as she held her son, 2-year-old A’hmari Robinson, WJXT said.

The bullet struck the toddler, who died after being rushed to Wolfson Children’s Hospital, the station said.

The arrest report indicates Dodson ran from the apartment and was captured on surveillance video throwing the gun into a dumpster, WJXT said.

Authorities including the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Marshals, and the SWAT Unit took Dodson into custody at the Vista Landing Apartments late Monday after a manhunt, the station said.

Police told WJXT that before officers arrived someone retrieved the gun from the dumpster and brought it back to the apartment where police took it into evidence.

Dodson has been charged with second-degree murder, attempted murder, child neglect, tampering with evidence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Dodson was denied bond Tuesday, the station said.

Court records show Dodson has had prior arrests over the last three years on charges including strong-arm robbery, domestic battery, and other offenses, WJXT said.

His next court date is set for April 15, the station said.

Robinson's family expressed their emotions outside the courtroom, the station said.

“Pain. Anger and pain. Pain, hurt,” one family member told WJXT. “And then we already getting fake pages just texting us and threatening. People want to fight my sister. Y’all don’t even know what she’s going through. Y’all don’t know what she went through.”

Another family member added to the station: “We is hurting, ‘cause that baby didn’t deserve none of that.”

Robinson's aunt started a GoFundMe account to help the family.

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Naturalized citizens flee to China days before bomb found at US Air Force base

A brother and sister pair in Florida are both facing decades in federal prison after a bomb was discovered at an Air Force base days after they had fled the country.

Alen Zheng, 20, and Ann Mary Zheng, 27, who lived together in Land O' Lakes, Florida, are both under federal indictment in connection with the bomb.

Officials described the device as 'viable' and 'potentially very deadly.'

On March 10, a person called 911 to report that an IED had been placed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, CENTCOM for the U.S. military. Investigators searched the base but did not find any suspicious device at that time.

However, on March 16, an IED was discovered at the base visitor center. At a press conference on Thursday, officials described the device as "viable" and "potentially very deadly."

The 911 call about the bomb was eventually traced back to Alen Zheng, who, along with Ann Mary, had purchased plane tickets to China on March 11 and then flew there the following day, according to Gregory Kehoe, the U.S. attorney for the Central District of Florida.

Before they left, the siblings allegedly sold a black Mercedes SUV that investigators determined was at MacDill at the time the bomb was placed. IED "residue" was later discovered in the vehicle, Kehoe alleged.

For reasons unknown, Ann Mary Zheng returned to the U.S. on March 17. She and their mother spoke with investigators and "conceded" that they knew about the IED planted at MacDill and Alen's involvement in it, Kehoe claimed.

Alen Zheng, who is believed to still be in China, has been charged with attempted damage of government property by fire or explosion, unlawful making of a destructive device, and possession of an unregistered destructive device. If convicted, he could spend up to 40 years behind bars.

Ann Mary Zheng — who has been accused of "corruptly altering, destroying, mutilating, and concealing a 2010 black Mercedes-Benz GLK 350 with the intent to impair its integrity and availability for use in the federal prosecution of Alen Zheng" — has been charged with evidence tampering and assisting after the fact. She faces up to 30 years if convicted.

A spokesperson from the office of the U.S. attorney for the Central District of Florida confirmed to Blaze News that the siblings are naturalized U.S. citizens and that their mother, whose name was not provided, is in federal custody regarding immigration.

"The mom's in custody because she is an overstay, and ... she's in custody for deportation," Kehoe said at the press conference. She has not been charged with any crime, but Kehoe indicated that the investigation is ongoing and that the possibility of future charges against her could not be precluded.

Of note, MacDill Air Force Base received a call on March 18 from someone who mentioned a bomb placed there. "How did you like the surprise at the MacDill Visitor Center?" the caller said, according to a DOJ press release. "Tick tick boom, it's gonna be between your eyes."

The suspected caller, 35-year-old Jonathan Elder, was arrested Monday.

The spokesperson from the U.S. attorney's office told Blaze News that there is no known link between Elder and the Zhengs at this time.

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House Ethics Committee Finds Florida Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Guilty of 25 Violations, Opening Door to Expulsion Vote

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D., Fla.) committed 25 violations of House ethics rules for her role in an alleged scheme to use millions of stolen taxpayer dollars to win her 2021 political campaign, a bipartisan House Ethics panel ruled in a vote that could lead to the Democrat’s expulsion from Congress.

The post House Ethics Committee Finds Florida Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Guilty of 25 Violations, Opening Door to Expulsion Vote appeared first on .

Florida thug accused of bashing woman's head with hammer, killing her, in horrific attack outside convenience store

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