Four arrested following strong arm robbery in Sarasota

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested four after a strong arm robbery left a man beaten in a parking lot.

On Sunday, deputies were called to the 3700 block of Cattlemen Road on reports of a strong arm robbery, or a theft done with force but without the use of a deadly weapon. 

The victim said he was there to buy an iPhone. According to police reports, the parking lot meeting was coordinated through the mobile application “Let Go,” which allows users to buy and sell items secondhand. 

When the victim arrived, he handed the seller $400 in exchange for the phone. The seller accepted the cash and then tried to steal the phone back before pepper-spraying and striking the victim on his head, according to police reports. 

The seller fled the scene in a gold Buick sedan that was driven by another male and contained two passengers. 

After looking through the app, detectives identified the person who posted the phone as 18-year-old Taylor Henderson. A witness said one of the passengers in the vehicle matched Henderson’s description. 

The vehicle was located and detectives identified the driver as 18-year-old Marvin Jones, the man who beat the victim as 18-year-old Brandon Reddish and the final passenger as 18-year-old Jordan Jackson. 

“This was an extremely scary situation for the victim in this case who ultimately did the right thing by conducting the transaction in a public place,” said Sheriff Tom Knight in a press release. “We are relieved the victim was not more seriously injured and grateful there were witnesses who helped piece together a timeline of events which put these four people behind bars.” 

Henderson and Jones are charged with principal to armed robbery and are being held without bond. Jackson also is charged with principal to armed robbery but is being held on $50,000 bond. 

Reddish is charged with armed robbery, displaying a weapon during the commission of a felony and battery. He is being held without bond.