Largo Mom, Kids Escape Attempted Carjacking

A Largo mother and her children escaped an attempted carjacking at gunpoint Tuesday afternoon in Seminole, according to authorities.

The 54-year-old woman was getting out of her Honda CRV with her children around 3:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Sweetbay Supermarket, 10370 Seminole Blvd., when a man approached and pointed a gun at her, detectives say.

The woman was able to run away with her children and the keys to her car, according to a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office report.

The suspect then approached a 2003 Buick parked just outside the Sweetbay, where an 82-year-old man was waiting for his wife to come out of the store.

Detectives say the suspect tapped on the driver's side window, pointed a gun at the man and ordered him out of the car. The man got out, and the suspect took off in the Buick.

An undercover detective later spotted a vehicle matching the description in the area of Clearwater-Largo Road and Mehlenbacher Road, authorities said. Patrol units began a chase, aided by a sheriff's helicopter.

The man eventually got out of the car at Gladys Street and 19th Street in Largo, fleeing on foot. He was caught shortly after that, officials said.

The man, identified as 37-year-old Anthony Eugene Sutton, of St. Petersburg, was arrested and charged with carjacking, attempted carjacking and felony fleeing and eluding.

No injuries were reported. The investigation is ongoing.