December 20, 2010 After a 24-year-old man was refused medication at a pain clinic on, he pointed a gun at the doctor and pulled the trigger.
But the gun didn't go off.
He then robbed the Lake Worth clinic, fled with another man who helped him escape and eventually was captured after a standoff with the SWAT team, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said.
"At the end of the day, it worked out great," Bradshaw said.
Jeffrey Frederick, 24, was arrested and will be charged with armed robbery, attempted murder and aggravated assault, Bradshaw said.
Friendley Sertile, 21, who is accused of being the getaway driver, probably will be charged as an accessory, he added.
The ordeal began about 1 p.m. inside the Urgent Pain Management clinic at 2111 10th Ave. North.
After getting upset for being denied medication, Frederick threatened the staff, left, and returned with a firearm.
Frederick got into a fistfight with a doctor and demanded cash before taking off with an undetermined amount.
When the weapon didn't go off, he hit him on the head with it, Bradshaw said.
The doctor was treated at the clinic, he said.
Frederick ran to a nearby mobile home park, where he drove off with Sertile, Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Teri Barbera said.
A bystander forwarded the license plate number to authorities, and the car was tracked to the Congress Park apartments, 3030 Congress Park Drive.
The SWAT team responded, and Sixth Avenue South and Melaleuca Lane were shut down between Congress Avenue and Kirk Road.
By 4 p.m., Frederick and Sertile surrendered without incident inside Apartment 333.
A grandmother and two or three kids were also inside the apartment, Barbera said. She did not know how the men knew them.
Sheriff's Office investigators confiscated a silver Lincoln Grand Marquis the two fled in.
An officer stood outside the apartment waiting for a search warrant around 6 p.m.
Inside, the floor was covered with picture frames and children's shoes. A vase with flowers was knocked over on a chair.
Kelanda Olivier and Kassandra Rodriguez, both 17, said they were hanging out at the apartment complex all day. They said they had seen Frederick and Sertile at the complex before.
Jail records show Sertile has been arrested six times since 2007, on charges that include grand theft auto, burglary, dealing in stolen property and drug possession.
Records show Frederick has been arrested five times since 2005, on charges that include robbery and resisting arrest. |