Florida Cops Fear Repeat of Attacks on Real Estate Agents
Authorities say the armed, phony home buyer might try to strike again.
— -- Authorities in Florida are searching for an armed man who attacked two real estate agents while they were showing him homes.
The incidents occurred Wednesday in St. Petersburg.
The man scheduled the first appointment for 1 p.m. that day using a fake name, police said. Once inside, authorities say the man tied the victim’s hands and feet before calling her husband demanding a ransom. But after something spooked the man, he fled.
About an hour later, police say, the man pulled a gun on another real estate agent a few miles away. The robber was interrupted again, this time by another real estate agent.
Police later released a sketch of the man, wearing a straw hat, large sunglasses and a goatee.
Authorities are worried the man will try to strike again.
“There was a level of planning that went into these crimes, and that’s what makes us fear he will strike again,” St. Petersburg Assistant Police Chief Jim Previtara said.