KISSIMMEE, Fla. – A pawn shop clerk in Kissimmee fired gunshots at an armed man who tried to rob the store on Friday, but he managed to escape, police said.
[PHOTOS: Armed robbery attempt at Kissimmee pawn shop]
The attempted robbery happened around 11:30 a.m. at the Queen of Pawns at 1700 West Vine Street.
Kissimmee police said a gray Ford SUV pulled up to the store and a man wearing a black shirt around his head and carrying a weapon entered the store and tried to rob two workers.
The clerk pulled out a gun and fired shots, but the culprit ran from the business into the neighborhood in back of the shop, police said. It's not known, however, if the assailant was struck. Police dogs searching for the man lost his scent.
Police officers were called to the shop and found the clerk and another employee suffering a hand injury caused by the gunfire. Their injuries were minor, but one of the employees was taken to an area hospital.
Neighbors staying at the Orchid Garden Inn watched as the clerk was taken away by ambulance.
"I have three sisters," said Bethany Howard. "And there's a lot of kids staying (here), so someone getting harmed 50 feet across the road is scary. It's very scary."
The pawn shop manager wouldn't show the surveillance video to Local 6, but did confirm his cameras caught what happened.
The assailant was described only as a man wearing a green long-sleeved shirt and black pants.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to contact the Kissimmee Police Department at 407-847-3333
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