Jacksonville police: Purse snatcher points gun at 6 people in Avondale

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A purse snatcher pointed his gun at six people in Avondale on Wednesday night, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

The armed robbery happened outside Brick Restaurant on St. Johns Avenue.

“He pointed a gun right at my face,” said Sherrill Buban, who had just finished eating dinner there.

Buban said she ran for help as an armed man wrestled her friend’s purse away from her.

“I turned and ran back into the Brick, and I tripped as I was going in, but I crawled behind the hostess station. And the manager was crouching down with me,” Buban said.

“The servers were just running everywhere and I immediately called 911,” said Brick Restaurant manager Dania Fadeley.

Neighbor Keith Dealing said he heard people screaming for the robber to stop.

Dealing said he saw the robber run around the corner and down Ingleside Avenue.

“I decided that – I don’t even know why – maybe I could tackle the guy,” Dealing said.

Surveillance video from Brick Restaurant shows Dealing make a run for the man, who appears to be holding a purse in his left hand.

“He pulled a pistol and that’s when I dropped and rolled,” Dealing said. “The type of weapon he was brandishing, that’ll make you stop in your tracks pretty quickly.”

Dealing said it’s an important reminder not to let your guard down, even in a neighborhood like Avondale.

“I’m just glad that the guy didn’t fire shots at people and everybody ended up being OK,” Dealing said.

Witnesses said it was hard to get a good description of the armed robber because he was wearing a mask and a hoodie.

Cox Media Group