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Robbers shoot gas station clerk near Florida Mall

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County gas station clerk was shot in an armed robbery early Tuesday morning, investigators said.

The shooting happened at a Sunoco gas station on South Orange Blossom Trail near the Florida Mall.

Authorities said they arrested two men, Christian Alfaro, 22, and Wesley Quesada, 20, in connection to the crime.

Investigators said just after 2 a.m. Tuesday, two men rushed into the Sunoco, one with a gun and one wearing a mask, and demanded cash.

Authorities said the clerk refused to give them money, so one of the men shot him.

“The clerk got upset and went straight down on the floor and said, ‘Take the money,’ but that didn't appear to be enough for one of the suspects who fired a shot and hit the clerk in the torso,” said Orange County sheriff PIO Jane Watrel.

The clerk, whose name was not released, is hospitalized in critical condition.

Deputies said someone in an adjacent parking lot saw the robbers' getaway car and wrote down the license plate.

"They (authorities) made contact with some witnesses who said they saw two Hispanic males get into a white Volkswagen and they provided a license plate number for that car," said Lt. Paul Hopkins of the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's deputies said they pulled the vehicle over on Sand Lake Road near Disney World and found a gun inside the car.

"We caught these guys so fast because of that witness from him getting such an accurate description and the license plate," said Hopkins.

Deputies said Alfaro and Quesada are from the Tampa area. They’re checking to see if the two suspects may be connected to any similar crimes in the area.