A suspected shoplifter is facing charges of attempted murder after investigators say she hit an employee who tried to stop her with her car.
The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office arrested Alexandra Phillipe, 22, on a charge of attempted murder and others. An accomplice, Rodrick Robinson, 27, of Apopka, faces charges of shoplifting and resisting a merchant.
Deputies said it all began when Robinson tried to sneak out of the Family Dollar store on 43rd Avenue on Tuesday with a large tub filled with hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise. An employee confronted Robinson near the fire exit. The two struggled over the tub as Robinson hopped into a car with Phillipe at the wheel. A second employee tried to get the suspects to stop.
The sheriff’s office said as Phillipe drove away she hit an employee. The impact sent him onto the hood of her car. The employee held on as she swerved through the parking lot before letting go. He suffered injuries to his face, hands, and leg when he hit the ground.
Investigators said Philippe made it all the way to I-95 where deputies took her and Robinson into custody. Phillipe told deputies she didn’t know Robinson planned to shoplift at the store.
She is being held at the Indian River County Jail without bail. In addition to the attempted murder charge, she faces felony reckless driving with serious bodily injury, leaving the scene of a crash involving injury, resist merchant and misdemeanor shoplifting/retail theft…Â Â CBS12 News