Driver Attacked Outside Downtown Sarasota Whole Foods: Police

SARASOTA, FL — A 30-year-old Bradenton man faces two felony charges after attacking an elderly man in an Aston Martin convertible parked outside the downtown Sarasota Whole Foods Monday afternoon, according to a Sarasota police report.

Gavin Pearce has been charged with aggravated battery on a person over 65 and carjacking with a weapon.

Police were called to the Whole Foods at 1451 1st Street around 5:30 p.m. Monday after receiving a 911 call about an attack on the 74-year-old driver.

AnnaMaria Toth, general manager of Bevardi’s Salute, told 911 dispatchers that a man, later identified as Pearce, grabbed two wine glasses from her restaurant at the southwest corner of 1st Street and Lemon Avenue, and broke them on the ground.

He walked over to the white Aston Martin parked on the south side of Whole Foods, entered the passenger side of the car and attacked the man, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, according to Toth’s witness statement.

As Pearce jumped out of the car, another witness, Robert Larner Jr., threw his bicycle at the suspect to stop him. Pearce took the bike and rode away on it, according to the police report.

When police arrived at Whole Foods, the victim, whose name hasn’t been released under Marsy’s Law, was sitting in a chair and being assisted by several people, who were trying to stop his wounds from bleeding. He had two large cuts on his left arm and cuts on the right side of his head, police said.

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He told offices that he thought Pearce was trying to steal his convertible and that he feared for his life. The victim threw his key fob out the window so Pearce couldn’t take the car, police said.

The victim drove himself to Sarasota Memorial Hospital for further assessment.

A short time later, police found Pearce and the bicycle near the intersection of 5th Street and North Tamiami Trail. He refused to speak with the officers, though, because he didn’t believe their body cameras were recording, according to the police report. He only wanted to speak with detectives in a recorded room.

Once he was brought to the Sarasota police headquarters, he chose to speak with his attorney before answering any questions from police.

Pearce was brought to Sarasota County Jail, where he is currently being held. As he was escorted into the jail, he told police, “I didn’t do anything to that guy.”