Wheelchair-bound robbery suspect gets stuck in sand

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By Douglas Stanglin, USA TODAY

Updated

Florida police investigating the robbery of a convenience store by a man in a motorized wheelchair found the suspect stuck in sand behind the store as he allegedly tried to make a getaway, The Gainesville Sun reports.

John Champion, 22, was arrested by Chiefland police on charges of armed robbery and aggravated battery.

Champion, armed with a knife, had allegedly demanded money, the newspaper reports, but got into a scuffle with the clerk, who stabbed him three times in the leg before she was overpowered.

Champion then allegedly fled with a 12-pack of beer and a roll of electrical tape, police say.

The Sun reports that when officers found Champion behind the store he was sitting in his wheelchair drinking a Bud Light Lime.

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About Doug Stanglin

Doug is an unrepentant news junkie who loves breaking news and has been known to watch C-SPAN even on vacation. He has covered a wide range of domestic and international news stories, from prison riots in Oklahoma to the Moscow coup against Mikhail Gorbachev. Doug previously served as foreign editor at USA TODAY. More about Doug

About Michael Winter

Michael Winter has been a daily contributor to On Deadline since its debut in January 2006. His journalism career began in the prehistoric Ink Era, and he was an early adapter at the dawn of the Digital Age. His varied experience includes editing at the San Jose Mercury News and The Philadelphia Inquirer.