C.J. Gish
Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) deputies arrested a robbery suspect after a pickup he was riding in rammed a car into a ditch and he took the victims’ cash, phones and purse at gunpoint Monday morning.
According to ACSO spokesperson Art Forgey, deputies arrested Steven Blake Shoemaker, 32, following the incident that took place around 1 a.m. on NE 21st Street in Gainesville.
Forgey said in his email, “Shoemaker was the passenger in a 2011 Nissan Titan pickup. The unknown (pickup) driver did a U-turn in front of the victim’s vehicle and rammed the pickup into the car. The pickup rammed the vehicle numerous times, pushing it into a ditch and rendering it inoperable.”
Shoemaker then allegedly exited the pickup and went to the driver’s side window of the disabled vehicle where he aimed a firearm at the victim and demanded their cash, phones and purse, Forgey said.
ACSO deputies later located Shoemaker driving the Nissan pickup. Shoemaker told deputies he had no idea how the pickup received front-end damage and denied involvement in the alleged robbery, but deputies found cash in his pocket matching the denominations provided by the victims. He was also found to have a revoked license since 2015.
Shoemaker was charged with two counts of aggravated battery, two counts of armed robbery, one count of criminal mischief and driving with a revoked license with knowledge.
Forgey also said the damage done to the rammed vehicle in the robbery was estimated at $8,000.