HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A crime at a Hollywood gas station of two armed robbers was caught on camera. Investigators said they believe the robbery may be connected to other crimes in the city.
Surveillance video captured the great lengths two crooks went through to rob a gas station on Sheridan Street and Northwest 72nd Avenue of loose change.
The men -- identified by Hollywood police as 24-year-old Jeremy Daye Gordon Toylor (pictured) and 21-year-old Kevon Michael-Dean Mowatt -- can be seen in the video using a machete to break through the glass of a machine where coins build up and few fall down.
"You just put quarters. There are a few $5, $10 bills," said Arun Simon, who works at the gas station. "It's just such a hassle. And you're not stealing much. We're such a small business, there is not a whole lot of money here."
In the video the clerk is seen trying to stop the pair. The clerk said he realized the weapon one of the men was wielding was a machete. Police said Mowatt used the machete to break open the machine.
The owners said the men are behind a string of robberies in the area and Tuesday night their sights were set on the now-busted machine at their store.
A short time later at 11:40 p.m. Toylor and Mowatt were involved in an altercation at an Exxon Mobil station, at 6390 Sheridan St. However, there wasn't a crime or victim at the gas station, police said.
"It's scary that they came in with a big machete. (But) everyone is fine and OK," Simon said.
Early Wednesday morning police caught up with two men at a home off Sherman Street and Northwest 64th Avenue.
Investigators said Toylor also went after another money machine at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino.
A woman claimed Toylor cashed out her machine and ran away with the ticket.
"I looked out the window and saw police officers with their guns out," the woman said. "They got one guy and waited for the other to come out."
Toylor was charged with robbery with a weapon, resist an officer without violence, and probation violation (original charge – burglary). Toylor is being held in the Broward County Main Jail on no bond.
Police said Mowatt was charged with robbery with a weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
On Thursday, Mowatt's bond was raised to $55,000.
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