Man Convicted In 2023 Tropicana Plant Kidnapping, Shooting: Police

BRADENTON, FL — A man was convicted of multiple felony charges in a 2023 armed kidnapping and shooting at the Tropicana plant, according to a Bradenton Police Department news release.

Demitrius Tyrone Bell, 51, was found guilty Friday morning of attempted murder, aggravated assault with a firearm, armed kidnapping and the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His trial started Wednesday.

On June 5, 2023, Bell returned to the plant after his scheduled shift and shot a 39-year-old coworker, seriously injuring him, police said.

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He then forced another coworker, a 38-year-old woman, to leave the plant with him. Bell released her in Hillsborough County on June 7.

He evaded arrest until April 15, 2024, when the BPD Crime Reduction Team learned that Bell had returned to Bradenton, police said. He took off when officers tried to arrest him.

Bell was found a short time later on the roof of a storage facility in the 2800 block of Manatee Avenue E. by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit and Bradenton police took him into custody.

He had a gun on him at the time of his arrest that was matched to a shell casing found at the Tropicana plant after the shooting.