WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – A security officer working the front gate of Knox Nursey — a cannabis cultivation facility in Winter Garden — was approached by three masked men early Sunday and pistol-whipped, according to the Winter Garden Police Department.
Police responded to 940 Avalon Road around 3:42 a.m., according to a news release. The security officer who was hit had attempted to retrieve his own weapon upon seeing one of the masked men pointing a pistol at him, but a second security officer managed to draw their own gun on the suspects, prompting the three men to run away, the release states. The security officers described the men as wearing masks and blue hoodies.
An extensive search turned up one of the suspects hiding in a nearby lake, identified as 34-year-old James Brenton, who has so far been uncooperative in the department’s investigation. Police later took a second suspect into custody — identified as Jamar Rashad West, 36 — who was also uncooperative.
Both were arrested and face charges of aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated battery with a firearm and armed robbery, with one suspect still unaccounted for.
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According to investigators, the men unsuccessfully tried to get a key to the facility from the first security officer, who was taken to a hospital for lacerations to his ear.
No other information was shared.
Anyone with information about the incident was urged to contact Winter Garden police at 407-656-3636, or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477) to remain anonymous.
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