Palm Frond Used As Weapon In 'Most Bizarre' Central Fla. Store Robbery
POSTED: Thursday, June 19, 2008
UPDATED: 8:31 am EDT June 24,2008
DELAND, Fla. -- A Central Florida man armed only with a large palm frond robbed a store in a crime described by police as one of the most bizarre they've ever seen.
IMAGES: Man Armed With Palm Frond
Police said Gelando Olivieri attempted to rob the V&F Discount Beverage store in DeLand by threatening harm with a spiked Spanish bayonet, a palmetto-like plant with sharp points on its leaves."The man came in with the branch. I have never seen anything like this," owner Goutam Sarkar told the DeLand-Deltona Beacon Thursday.Surveillance video showed Olivieri wildly waving the palm frond in front of a worker's face.Investigators said Olivieri threatened to use the leaves to stab if he wasn't given $50."(The plant) was sharp," Sarkar said.Before any money was exchanged, Oliveiri was chased out of the store by a man armed with a bar stool.Oliveri was arrested a short time after the crime and charged with armed robbery.Some residents called the Oliveri creative after hearing about the crime.A police official said the leaves of the Spanish bayonet are like knives and that people often plant them under windows to stop break-ins.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
IMAGES: Man Armed With Palm Frond Police said Gelando Olivieri attempted to rob the V&F Discount Beverage store in DeLand by threatening harm with a spiked Spanish bayonet, a palmetto-like plant with sharp points on its leaves."The man came in with the branch. I have never seen anything like this," owner Goutam Sarkar told the DeLand-Deltona Beacon Thursday.Surveillance video showed Olivieri wildly waving the palm frond in front of a worker's face.Investigators said Olivieri threatened to use the leaves to stab if he wasn't given $50."(The plant) was sharp," Sarkar said.Before any money was exchanged, Oliveiri was chased out of the store by a man armed with a bar stool.Oliveri was arrested a short time after the crime and charged with armed robbery.Some residents called the Oliveri creative after hearing about the crime.A police official said the leaves of the Spanish bayonet are like knives and that people often plant them under windows to stop break-ins.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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