2 Arrested In Armed Carjacking

BRADENTON, FL — An armed carjacking outside a Bradenton Dollar General store Thursday night has led to two arrests.

According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, a 63-year-old man was at the 3611 1st St. E. Dollar General store around 9 p.m. Dec. 15. When the man walked outside of the store, two people walked up to him and asked for a ride to a location on 32nd Avenue East. The man agreed to give the two a lift, an email from the sheriff’s office said.

In the 800 block of 32nd Avenue East, deputies say one of the people “brandished a shiny object, believed to be a knife.” The object was placed against the victim’s throat and the man was ordered out of his own vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.

The victim got out, uninjured, and notified deputies.

The vehicle was located a short time later, disabled, in the 5400 block of 15th Street Court East. When a deputy approached, the two people inside fled on foot. They didn’t make it too far, the sheriff's office noted.

Eduardo A. Martinez, 20, and an unnamed juvenile were both charged with armed carjacking.

Further information is not being released at this time.

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