Left: Kewarren Anderson (Marion County Jail). Right: Taco Bell in Ocala, Florida, that Anderson robbed with a rock (Google Maps).
The chaotic scene unfolded around 12:30 a.m. on July 8, when Kewarren Anderson, reportedly with his shirt wrapped around his head, entered the Taco Bell through the drive-thru window. Armed with a sizable rock, Anderson demanded money from the employees inside the establishment located at 2380 SW College Road, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit.
In a startling turn of events, Anderson chased the employees out of the store and around the parking lot, all the while brandishing the rock and continuing his demands for cash. Despite his efforts, he ultimately fled the scene on foot without managing to secure any money.
Authorities quickly responded to the incident, employing the help of a K-9 unit to track Anderson down. The pursuit led them to a dumpster at a nearby business, where Anderson was found and subsequently identified by Taco Bell employees as the rock-wielding suspect. Known to some by the nickname “Tony the Tiger,” Anderson later confessed to being at the Taco Bell during the attempted robbery, citing homelessness and financial desperation as his motives.
Since his arrest on charges of armed robbery, Anderson has remained in custody. This week, a court handed down the sentence that will see him spend the next four years behind bars, bringing an end to a crime spree that was as peculiar as it was alarming for the employees involved.
Anderson did not get away with any cash. He was arrested on an armed robbery charge and has been behind bars ever since.
On Thursday, Anderson pleaded no contest to armed robbery. He was adjudicated guilty and given credit for the nearly 200 days he’s already served behind bars.
While he was in jail, he kicked and slapped a corrections officer while he was fighting another inmate. Anderson also pleaded no contest to battery by a person in a detention facility. His sentence will run concurrently with the four-year prison term for the robbery case.
