Don’t mess with this kid’s mom (via WFLA). A 17-year-old boy fought off a would-be robber, leaving the latter a bit worse for wear, deputies said. On Sept. 18 the victim and his mother drove to a Sunoco gas station in Lakeland to pick up mom’s check.
The boy was sitting in the car, with the door slightly open, when Luther Dunn, 32, approached him, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Dunn had a knife and demanded money, deputies said. The victim said he didn’t have any money, and a verbal altercation ensued. The victim then went inside to find his mom. They exited the store and the suspect approached, using profane language, deputies said.
The Sheriff’s Office said the suspect started a physical fight. The victim feared for his life so he grabbed a tire iron from the vehicle and, when the suspect approached him “aggressively,” he swung it, deputies said. Dunn tried to grab the victim, but instead, the victim picked him up and threw him to the ground, deputies added.
The suspect told deputies he had a verbal altercation with a friend, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Dunn has been charged with attempted robbery with a deadly weapon and being a convicted felon in possession of a weapon.