By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
An Atmore man was arrested May 4, just over 10 days after he allegedly yanked a pistol from the hands of a local motorist and took off with it.
Police Chief Chuck Brooks confirmed that 27-year-old Demetrius McCaster was taken into custody and charged with one count each of third-degree robbery and second-degree theft of property.
Brooks said the investigation into the robbery started April 24, when “a subject came to the police department and said a male approached him on Bragg Street and demanded his weapon.”
Reports show that the suspect, later identified as McCaster, “snatched the man’s gun and ran.” He reportedly fired two shots into the air as he fled the scene.
An employee of the Escambia County Detention Center’s booking and release division said May 15 that McCaster remained in the county jail. His bond was set at $20,000.
Third-degree robbery, also known as “strong-armed robbery,” is a Class C felony that occurs when a person “uses force or the threat of force (but no deadly weapon) to take or attempt to take the property of another.” It is punishable upon conviction by a prison sentence of at last one year and one day, with a maximum sentence of up to 10 years. A fine of up to $15,000 could be levied, too.