Arrest Made In Century Armed Robbery

October 17, 2012

A Century man has been charged with robbing a local convenience store at gunpoint after being caught on video attempting to buy a ski mask just hours before.

Devante Aaron Knight, 20, was charged with robbery with a firearm, grand theft and committing a felony while wearing a mask or hood, for for the September 30 holdup of the Southern Pit Stop on Highway 29 just south of the Alabama state line.

Knight entered the store about 8:40 p.m. on that Sunday night wearing a black shirt tied around his head and a pistol and demanded the money from the register, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report. He allegedly went behind the counter and held the gun to a store clerk’s head. After getting the money from the register, he then demanded two packs of Newport cigarettes before fleeing the area on foot.

Surveillance video from the nearby Dollar General Store shows Knight in the business less than three hours before the robbery. A Dollar General employee told deputies that Knight asked for help in finding a stocking cap or mask like would be worn in the winter. The store did not have the item in stock.

Knight’s clothing on the Dollar General video was the same clothing worn during the robbery attempt, the arrest report states, and store clerks from the Southern Pit Stop identified the man on the Dollar General video as being the robbery.

Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at the robbery scene within two minutes of the robbery report and established a perimeter around the store.

A K-9 team from Century Correctional Institution located a track on the suspect that ended nearby on North Century Boulevard. Authorities were not sure if the suspect got into a vehicle or if heavy rain showers at the time destroyed the track.

The same convenience store was robbed at gunpoint in similar fashion back on April 2, 2012. There have been no arrests in that robbery.

Pictured: Deputies were on the scene of a Century convenience station robbery minutes after it happened on September 30. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

6 Responses to “Arrest Made In Century Armed Robbery”

  1. buddy on October 19th, 2012 11:03 pm

    Dang jelly i hate u did this well we all make mistakes i no u r a good person just hope this helps u open ur eyes and do better!!

  2. David Huie Green on October 19th, 2012 11:55 am

    CONSIDERING:
    “He looks like such an intelligent young man, wasting his talents on crime.”

    Sometimes appearances are deceiving. Really, though, there are just too many things to remember to successfully commit crimes. If people were smart enough to think of all of them, they would be smart enough to not do the crime in the first place.

    David for better people

  3. Ben Thar on October 17th, 2012 1:57 pm

    Dollar General would have much better sales if they stocked robbery attire year-round.

  4. smh on October 17th, 2012 1:38 pm

    Way to make your son proud…To bad he want be around to see him grown up..or maybe that’s a good thing???

  5. Pat on October 17th, 2012 9:33 am

    What a shame. He looks like such an intelligent young man, wasting his talents on crime.

  6. cygie on October 17th, 2012 6:04 am

    Wow. Nothing like covering your tracks!

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News