Video released of suspect who robbed man of wallet and shot him in leg, police say

A man was robbed of his wallet and shot in the leg by an unidentified suspect in Fort Lauderdale, and then he drove himself to a nearby police station for help. The police department released video of the suspect Wednesday night who has been unidentified since the shooting in June.

The victim, a transportation driver, was working on the afternoon of June 20 in the 300 block of Northwest 17th Avenue, waiting to pick up a customer. He was parked in the area waiting for a client when a man approached his window with a gun and demanded money, according to an incident report.

He didn’t have any cash, but the victim gave up his wallet, the report said. The suspect took it, then shot the victim through the driver’s side door and ran.

The police department released video from a dashboard camera inside the victim’s car that showed the suspect walking around the street near his van, then the victim quickly driving to the police station after he was shot. They also released surveillance video from a liquor store where police said the suspect used the victim’s credit card after the shooting.

Officers outside the former headquarters on West Broward Boulevard started treating the victim’s wounds as he sat in the driver’s seat “screaming in agony,” according to the report. One bullet entered the victim’s left thigh, exited and went through his right thigh. The bullet was still in his jeans.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue arrived and took the victim to Broward Health Medical Center. When officers took him out of his van, the bullet rolled into the crack of the driver’s seat, the report said.

The victim’s identity was not released due to his invoking Marsy’s Law, a voter-approved constitutional amendment that allows crime victims to withhold their identifying information from the public.

The liquor store’s surveillance video showed the suspect walk in shirtless wearing blue jeans. He is described in the incident report as being between 20 and 30 years old, between 5-feet-9-inches and six-feet tall, weighing about 150 to 160 pounds with a thin build.

Detectives ask anyone who may have witnessed the shooting or anyone with information about the suspect’s identity to call Det. Alyssa Alonso at 954-828-5575 or to submit information anonymously by calling Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.