Couple robbed at gunpoint at motel

A couple was held at gunpoint in a Motel 6 parking lot in the early morning hours of Nov. 22.

A Manatee County Sheriff’s Office report states Daniel Lowery, 20, and Jessie Kielmann, 19, planned to get a room at the motel to celebrate Lowery’s birthday. When they arrived in the parking lot, they saw the suspect, whom they recognized from high school.

When the suspect approached the driver’s side window, the couple told the suspect they had $400 and asked if he wanted to party with them. The suspect then pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun from his waistband and demanded the money, the report states.

Lowery handed over the money, and the suspect got into a red Lexus and fled eastbound on State Road 64. Lowery and Kielmann attempted to follow the suspect but lost him at the intersection of State Road 64 and Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, the report states.