Deputies: 18-year-old held up Walgreens to steal energy drinks

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County deputies have arrested a man who they said held up a Walgreens on North Hiawassee Road for energy drinks.

A Walgreens store manager spotted 18-year-old Leviticus Brown stuffing energy drinks into his backpack, deputies said.

From there, deputies said a misdemeanor crime turned into a felony.

"As the male left the store, he confronted him. That's when the male actually turned around and pulled a handgun out of his pocket, thus robbing the manager of the items," said Lt. Paul Hopkins of the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Brown left the store and rode away on his bicycle, deputies said.

However, after an hour, a deputy spotted Brown and confronted him.

"Once the deputy confronted him, he dropped the bicycle and took off running, and our deputy was able to chase him down and get him into custody without any incident," said Hopkins.

Surveillance video from the store helped convince investigators they had the right man.

Brown was arrested and charged with a felony instead of just a shoplifting charge.

"So, he took this shoplifting that he probably wouldn't have been prosecuted for and turned it into an armed robbery. Now, he's going to jail for that," said Hopkins.

WFTV