{"id":98733,"date":"2023-12-21T19:39:14","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T01:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=98733"},"modified":"2023-12-21T19:40:33","modified_gmt":"2023-12-22T01:40:33","slug":"98733","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=98733","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Man shot, killed during robbery in Polk County motel parking lot<\/a><\/p>\n

POLK COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 A man was shot and killed during an attempted robbery in a motel’s parking lot late Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said they received a call about the shooting at the Tropicana Resort Motel at 43420 Highway 27 in Davenport just before midnight.<\/p>\n

When deputies arrived, they said Christian MacDonald, 44, told them Harold Omar Sepulveda-Cruz, 33, got into the backseat of the car he and Robert Rafael Pementel-Cruceta Jr., 31, were sitting in. Sepulveda-Cruz then started to demand money and drugs, threatening to kill them if they didn’t comply.<\/p>\n

Deputies said when Sepulveda-Cruz’s demands became increasingly aggressive, MacDonald pulled a gun from his jacket pocket and shot it multiple times toward the backseat and the suspect, who was struck in the upper torso.<\/p>\n

Sepulveda-Cruz had already passed away when deputies arrived. MacDonald allegedly admitted to deputies that he shot and killed Sepulveda-Cruz and that he was shooting in self-defense.<\/p>\n

After investigating, deputies said the shooting was the result of a robbery and illegal drug transaction Sepulveda-Cruz and Pementel-Cruceta planned. When MacDonald asked Pementel-Cruceta about buying marijuana from him over the phone, they planned to meet in the parking lot.<\/p>\n

Deputies said Pementel-Cruceta picked up Sepulveda-Cruz, who told him he wanted to get “quick cash” before Pementel-Cruceta dropped him off near the hotel.<\/p>\n

MacDonald parked at the motel and got into Pementel-Cruceta’s 2017 white Kia. Shortly after, deputies said Sepulveda-Cruz got into the backseat and attempted the robbery using a “makeshift simulated” gun to hit MacDonald in the back multiple times, leading to the shooting.<\/p>\n

According to deputies, Pementel-Cruceta was seen on motel surveillance video rummaging in the backseat of the Kia and throwing evidence over a fence after the shooting. Detectives found Sepulveda-Cruz’s ID, keys and cellphone on the other side of the fence later on.<\/p>\n

Cruceta-Pementel was charged with the following:<\/p>\n