After holding up a convenience store with a BB gun, and later winding up behind bars, a suspected thief told an arresting officer he wished he owned a real gun, Gainesville Police said.
Phillip Dequaze Henry
At about 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Phillip Dequaze Henry, 29, walked into the Corner Store, located in the 100 block of SW Fifth Terrace, and held a yellow bandana over his face before demanding money from the store’s cash register and the clerk’s wallet, according to a police report.
The clerk, Dhananjaya “Jaya” Knighten, said he gave Henry $300 out of the register because it appeared he had a real gun.
Police found Henry about an hour later walking nearby, GPD Lt. Jaret Weiland said.
In his backpack police found a BB gun and yellow bandana that matched the security camera footage from the store, according to the report.
Henry also had cash on him equal to or exceeding what was taken from the store, according to the report. After his arrest, Henry told police he committed the robbery because he is homeless and felt “oppressed by the system.”
Police arrested Henry on charges of armed robbery and attempted armed robbery. Authorities took him to Alachua County Jail where he remains, as of press time, in lieu of a $100,000 bond.
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