SUWANNEE COUNTY FLA. (WTXL) — A Tallahassee man has been arrested in connection to a gun robbery and shooting at Goldleaf Pawn Shop last week.
During a press conference Tuesday afternoon, the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office confirmed that they have charged Jermar Tillie in connection to the attempted murder and robbery at a Live Oak pawn shop last week.
Deputies say the incident happened on Monday, April 20 at the Goldleaf Pawn Shop on 129 South.
An initial investigation into eyewitness accounts and store surveillance video revealed that a white female and a black male entered the store that afternoon before the robbery took place.
While one store employee was distracted, the man retrieved a handgun and shot the store owner numerous times. The duo then left the scene in a 2016-2019 sliver Nissan Sentra.
The owner was airlifted to an nearby trauma center where he underwent several surgeries. He remains hospitalized in serious condition.
Just two days after the shooting, deputies received a tip from a citizen in Lake City who reported that he saw a silver Nissan Sentra that was driven by a woman parked suspiciously at his business on Saturday.
When the tipster tried to talk to the woman, she sped away and picked up two men who were in an adjacent pawn shop.
Through surveillance footage at that Lake City location, deputies determined that the suspects visited Gold Leaf Pawn before to going to the pawnshop in Lake City, presumably to “case it” before the robbery on the following Monday.
Thanks to this tip, which included the license plate number of the vehicle, deputies said they learned that the vehicle had ties to Jermar Tillie.
That same night, with the help of several agencies, SCSO found the car at a home in Lake City. When it drove away, Jermar Tillie, the driver, was quickly arrested for an outstanding warrant from Leon County. He was also booked on unrelated charges in Columbia County.
Thanks to combined investigations between the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Columbia County Sheriff's office, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, the Live Oak Police Department, the Lake City Police Department, the U,S, Marshals Fugitive Task Force and the ATF, SCSO says probable cause was developed to charge Tiilie with attempted murder and armed robbery.
Deputies said that Tiliie was sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempted 2nd degree murder in Leon County back in 2007 but was released from prison in December 2019.
The female suspect, who has yet to be identified, is still at large.
"We still have not identified the white female or the driver of the getaway car, however, we are still pursuing investigative leads and are confident that they will soon be taken into custody," deputies wrote in a Facebook post.
Deputies say Tillie's arrest would not have been possible if not for the numerous tips they received from the community. If you have any information regarding this case, please contact the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office at 386-362-2222. You may remain anonymous.
