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Waitress Captures Suspect

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By TOM BRENNAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 4, 2008

LITHIA - The man looked suspicious, looking back while running through a parking lot and clutching a bag to his chest.

Moments later the bank manager appeared, crouching, his head bobbing, looking for someone.

The scene played out near the windows of DaSilva's Coffee House at 15282 FishHawk Blvd.

A young waitress decided to take a role, and it wasn't a supporting part.

Learning the fleeing man allegedly had robbed Valrico State Bank at the other end of the shopping plaza, the waitress gave chase. When the man tried to circle back to his car, the waitress made a citizen's arrest.

"I heard her say, 'Freeze, police. Freeze, or I'm going to shoot,'" said Karen Raga, a co-worker.

She wasn't armed, but the ruse worked. "He put up his hands, and she's there in a second, has him up against a car, gets his arm locked behind him and gets him on the ground."

The waitress didn't want to identify herself or talk about the incident. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office wouldn't identify her because she is a former law enforcement officer.

The bank manager and another DaSilva's employee helped corral the robber, but Raga said the waitress was the star.

"She orchestrated the whole takedown," she said. "You could say she subdued the perp."

The threesome sat on the man until police arrived.
Jeffrey Gordon Merritt, 44, of 9411 Chalet Drive, Apt. 1408, Tampa, was charged with armed robbery. No bail had been set.

Merritt told deputies he also was responsible for two armed bank robberies in Pinellas County, investigators say.

One robbery occurred Sept. 16 at Anderen Bank, 3412 Eastlake Road in Palm Harbor. The other occurred Saturday at Fifth Third Bank, 1703 McMullen Booth Road in Safety Harbor.

Authorities said Merritt entered Valrico State Bank about 9:10 a.m., demanded money from a teller and fled to the parking lot with an undisclosed amount of cash.

"It was the coolest thing I ever saw," Raga said of his apprehension. "It was just like an action movie. She was like Indiana Jones or any other character you could name. She's definitely my hero."

The waitress, young and slightly built, was not without experience. Raga said her co-worker was a police officer in Germany and recently relocated to FishHawk Ranch with her family.

Reporter Josh Poltilove contributed to this report. Reporter Tom Brennan can be reached at (813) 657-4528 or tbrennan@tampatrib.com.

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