Trio steals $4,500 in sunglasses from Brandon store in under a minute
Detectives are asking for help identifying three men who took less than 60 seconds to rob a Brandon Sunglass Hut.
The brazen robbery took place at 6:50 p.m. Oct. 23 when three men walked into the store at 644 Brandon Town Center Drive and started to remove sunglasses from the shelves. A few seconds later they were filling their pockets with handfuls of sunglasses, according to a report from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Approached by a store employee, the men ran off but not before emptying at least one wall display of eyewear, taking 30 to 40 pairs of glasses valued at approximately $4,500.
The first suspect is a 6-feet, 230-pound, black male, aged 22 to 29 with a muscular build and black short hair. He was wearing black gym shorts and red boxers/briefs.
The second suspect is 6-feet, 175-pound, black male, aged 22 to 29 with a thin build. He was wearing a white “du rag” (a piece of cloth used to cover the head) and camouflage khaki shorts. No detailed description was available for the third suspect.
Anyone with any information reference these suspects is asked to call the HCSO at 247-8200. Anyone with any information regarding the identity and whereabouts of these suspects and who wants to be eligible for a cash reward is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477).
Large golf-themed sports bar with driving range to open in Brandon
TopGolf plans to break ground on a 65,000-square-foot building in Brandon early next year. The sports bar and restaurant is expected to create more than 100 fulltime jobs and projected to open in the fall of 2014.
TopGolf Tampa will open at 10690 Palm River Road, near the intersection of I-75 and the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway, close to a new Bass Pro Shops location. The outdoor sporting goods store is also slated to open in 2014.
“Tampa is undeniably one of the best outdoor cities in America, making it an ideal location for a year-round recreational activity like TopGolf,” said TopGolf chief development officer Randy Starr. “We are thrilled to partner with such a fast-growing and thriving community for our first location in the state of Florida.”
The new three-level complex will include up to 2,900 square feet of private event space and 102 climate-controlled hitting bays that can host up to six players at a time. Starr estimates that TopGolf Tampa will serve approximately 400,000 visitors in its first year of operation.
Each facility features climate-controlled hitting bays where players hit golf balls containing computer microchips that track each shot’s accuracy and distance while also awarding points for hitting targets on the outfield.
“This world-class sports and entertainment experience will be joining its neighbor, Bass Pro, as part of an overall regional entertainment destination venue to be located in the Brandon area of unincorporated Hillsborough County,” said Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan.
Hagan said the decision validates the county’s decision earlier this year to pay $6 million to improve roads in the area, a key factor in attracting Bass Pro Shop to Brandon.
For more information, visit topgolf.com/tampa or facebook.com/topgolftampa.
Free Christmas concert in Brandon
First Presbyterian Church of Brandon, 121 Carver Ave., is planning a free Christmas concert at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 14 with the New Directions Orchestra performing in Mauldin Hall. Admission is free. Call 813-689-4597.