Cops: Florida Man With Shovel Wins Gunfight

A 26-year-old Orlando man shot three times during a Friday morning robbery in Hudson managed to pick up a shovel and beat his attacker.

That’s according to Pasco County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Kevin Doll who sent out an email to media a 4:26 a.m. Friday with the header: “Man takes shovel to gunfight and wins.”

Doll said the case referenced unfolded at the 18728 U.S. 19 Players’ Club bar when Thomas Allopenna of Orlando walked out of the bar and got into his truck in an attempt to leave.

As Allopenna was in his truck, a man approached the driver’s side door and without warning fired five shots from a handgun, Doll wrote. Allopenna was struck three times.

Injured, but not giving up without a fight, Doll said Allopenna managed to get out of his truck and grab his attacker. At that point, the attacker demanded everything Allopenna had.

A witness to the attack stepped in at that point, striking the gunman with a shovel.

Allopenna took the shovel from the witness, Doll said, and “continued beating the suspect.”

When deputies arrived on the scene, they recovered a handgun on the sidewalk near Allopenna’s truck, Doll noted.

Allopenna and the accused attacker were both taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

“The suspect was unable to give a statement due to his injuries,” Doll wrote, adding that he remains hospitalized.

Deputies have charged Jonathan Luis Crespo, 22, of Spring Hill with attempted murder and armed robbery.

See Also:

• Officer Tried to Stop Man Accused of Throwing Child Over Skyway Bridge Approach
• 89-Year-Old Florida War Vet Stands His Ground

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Photo Credit: Jonathan Luis Crespo/Pasco County Sheriff’s Office

Editor’s note: This story was updated Jan. 9 at 3:10 p.m. with the latest information from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.