Four men are in police custody in Polk County after an armed robbery and a double homicide sparked a police chase this morning. Police say Devonere “Devon” McCune, Michael Gordon, Jovan Lamb and Terrell Williams robbed the Cash America pawn shop on Havendale Boulevard at 5:45 p.m. Thursday.
Police later spotted the suspects’ GMC SUV heading eastbound along U.S. 17/U.S. 92 in Haines City and the suspects fired shots at the police officers. No officers were hit. After the suspects’ vehicle crashed in the Chanler Ridge subdivision, the men fled on-foot. McCune was caught by officers while the three others got away.
As police searched the area, a nearby resident told them to check on a particular home at 618 Astor Road due to suspicious activity. That’s when a vehicle burst through the garage door, flying toward officers. Police were able to catch another suspect, Gordon, while the other two fled. Once inside the home, police made a gruesome discovery — that Deborah Royal, 51, and her mother, Patricia Moran, 72, had been brutally murdered.
Lamb was arrested at 8:30 Friday morning and Williams shortly after 9 a.m., when police found him hiding in a shed. All four have lengthy criminal histories. A neighbor said one of the men knocked on her door overnight, asking to use the phone, which is when she called 911.
Your Wake Up Call with Chris Markowski and Jenna Laine airs Monday through Friday from 6-9 a.m. on AM 820 News in Tampa Bay and AM 1190 News in Orlando.
