He held hostages at a Key West convenience store while drinking a beer, police say
A man held customers and employees of a Key West convenience store at gunpoint for almost two hours while officers were outside demanding he give himself up, according to police.
The man, 47-year-old Osmel Garcia, is being held on a $290,000 bond on a slew of charges, including armed robbery, aggravated assault and false imprisonment.
According to the Key West Police Department, Garcia entered the Lime Tree Food Mart on Flagler Avenue shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday and pulled out a .32 caliber semiautomatic handgun. At times he pointed at people working and shopping in the store, and other times, he pointed the weapon at his head, said police spokeswoman Alyson Crean.
Garcia then locked the door leading in and out of the business while the people inside hid throughout the store, Crean said.
At one point, he grabbed a beer from the store’s refrigerator and drank it, according to police.
After police arrived, they ordered Garcia to give himself up. He initially ignored the commands, until around 6 p.m., when he tossed the gun outside and was arrested, Crean said.
“Osmel Garcia was known to frequent Lime Tree Food Mart and had been kicked out numerous times by the store employees,” she said.
