Crime & Safety
Police Arrest Suspect in Tarpon Springs Shooting
Elvin Joel Velez Pacheco, 35, of Clearwater, is charged with attempted murder and attempted armed robbery in connection with a robbery and shooting in Tarpon Springs Saturday night.
A Clearwater man was arrested and charged in a robbery and shooting in Tarpon Springs Monday.
Tarpon Springs Police say tips they received from the public led them to a suspect in a shooting and attempted robbery Saturday night.
Police arrested and charged Elvin Joel Velez Pacheco, 35, at his Clearwater home Monday evening after receiving tips that he was talking about the shooting, according to Cpt. Jeffrey Young of the Tarpon Springs Police Department.
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Investigators say Pacheco walked out of a wooded area with a gun and approached a man and a woman as they were walking on a sidewalk on South Walton Avenue around 9:30 p.m. Saturday. The man was shot when he tried to grab Pacheco's gun.
A cell phone found at the scene of the shooting was confirmed to belong to Pacheco, according to Tarpon Springs Police. Investigators also say the crime appears to be random with cash as the motive.
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Pacheco was arrested and charged with attempted murder and attempted armed robbery. He is in Pinellas County Jail on $100,000 bond.
"Detectives are still attempting to locate the firearm used, and following up
on other investigative leads in this case," Young said.
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