from the Sun Sentinel (fl)
Subway restaurant worker tells how ex-Marine foiled robbery by shooting suspects
By Andrew Tran and Sofia Santana
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted June 30 2007
Click here to subscribe today to the Sun-Sentinel or call 1-877-READ-SUN.
Plantation Andres Ramirez remembers lying prone on the cold floor behind the sandwich counter, listening to the horrific sounds of a violent struggle he could not see. He worried he was going to die. Then the fighting and gunfire stopped.
Two days after a customer shot a pair of armed robbers during his night shift at a Subway restaurant, Ramirez returned to work Friday, saying it was his responsibility.
The Costa Rican native speaks little English but understood the robbers' orders.
"They were asking me for the money," Ramirez, 26, said of the robbers. "I pointed to the cash register, said it was by the menus and then dropped to the floor."
Police said the robbers, later identified as Donicio Arrindell, 22, of North Lauderdale, and Fredrick Gadson, 21, of Fort Lauderdale, then turned their attention to the lone customer at the restaurant: former Marine John Lovell, 71.
Ramirez feared that the robbers were killing Lovell, not realizing at the time that it was Lovell who was pounding on and shooting the robbers.
In the end, Lovell had fatally wounded Arrindell and shot Gadson, who was in stable condition Friday at Broward General Medical Center, police said.
Police have charged Arrindell with felony murder and armed robbery. Under Florida law, anyone who commits a felony such as armed robbery resulting in death can be charged with murder.
Police say Lovell will not be charged.
On Friday, police announced that detectives are investigating whether Arrindell and Gadson are suspects in similar holdups in Broward and Palm Beach counties. They are reviewing the restaurant surveillance tape for clues.
Owner Khalid Malik, 54, of Coral Springs, recounted the scene captured by the store's security camera. He declined to let a reporter watch it.
According to Malik, Gadson and Arrindell walked in at about 11:10 p.m. Wednesday, wearing sunglasses and bandannas covering their faces. Gadson approached Ramirez and demanded money. Arrindell pointed his gun at Lovell, who stood up and raised his hands.
"He said he handed whatever he had on him — $500 — but they kept pushing him," Malik said.
Arrindell pushed Lovell toward the women's restroom while Gadson took the cashier's money tray, Malik said. Gadson entered the employee area and grabbed the change box.
"The victim believed he would be executed, and when he noticed [Arrindell] distracted ... reached behind his back, removed his loaded .45 caliber handgun from his holster and fired seven rounds," according to a police statement.
Two bullets struck Arrindell in the head and stomach, police said. Gadson emerged from the employee room, and Lovell, who has a concealed-weapons permit, fired several times. One bullet shattered the store's glass door, and another hit Gadson.
Subway restaurant worker tells how ex-Marine foiled robbery by shooting suspects
By Andrew Tran and Sofia Santana
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted June 30 2007
Click here to subscribe today to the Sun-Sentinel or call 1-877-READ-SUN.
Plantation Andres Ramirez remembers lying prone on the cold floor behind the sandwich counter, listening to the horrific sounds of a violent struggle he could not see. He worried he was going to die. Then the fighting and gunfire stopped.
Two days after a customer shot a pair of armed robbers during his night shift at a Subway restaurant, Ramirez returned to work Friday, saying it was his responsibility.
The Costa Rican native speaks little English but understood the robbers' orders.
"They were asking me for the money," Ramirez, 26, said of the robbers. "I pointed to the cash register, said it was by the menus and then dropped to the floor."
Police said the robbers, later identified as Donicio Arrindell, 22, of North Lauderdale, and Fredrick Gadson, 21, of Fort Lauderdale, then turned their attention to the lone customer at the restaurant: former Marine John Lovell, 71.
Ramirez feared that the robbers were killing Lovell, not realizing at the time that it was Lovell who was pounding on and shooting the robbers.
In the end, Lovell had fatally wounded Arrindell and shot Gadson, who was in stable condition Friday at Broward General Medical Center, police said.
Police have charged Arrindell with felony murder and armed robbery. Under Florida law, anyone who commits a felony such as armed robbery resulting in death can be charged with murder.
Police say Lovell will not be charged.
On Friday, police announced that detectives are investigating whether Arrindell and Gadson are suspects in similar holdups in Broward and Palm Beach counties. They are reviewing the restaurant surveillance tape for clues.
Owner Khalid Malik, 54, of Coral Springs, recounted the scene captured by the store's security camera. He declined to let a reporter watch it.
According to Malik, Gadson and Arrindell walked in at about 11:10 p.m. Wednesday, wearing sunglasses and bandannas covering their faces. Gadson approached Ramirez and demanded money. Arrindell pointed his gun at Lovell, who stood up and raised his hands.
"He said he handed whatever he had on him — $500 — but they kept pushing him," Malik said.
Arrindell pushed Lovell toward the women's restroom while Gadson took the cashier's money tray, Malik said. Gadson entered the employee area and grabbed the change box.
"The victim believed he would be executed, and when he noticed [Arrindell] distracted ... reached behind his back, removed his loaded .45 caliber handgun from his holster and fired seven rounds," according to a police statement.
Two bullets struck Arrindell in the head and stomach, police said. Gadson emerged from the employee room, and Lovell, who has a concealed-weapons permit, fired several times. One bullet shattered the store's glass door, and another hit Gadson.
