NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – Two days before a Neptune Beach Publix made national headlines for selling the winning $1.58 billion Mega Millions ticket, the store attracted the unwanted attention of an armed robbery suspect, according to police.
A post on the Neptune Beach Police Department Facebook page said Russell E. Gnann threatened staff at the Publix Pharmacy on Atlantic Boulevard on Monday while concealing a fake handgun under a towel. Police said Gnann demanded controlled narcotics and then ran from the store with a large amount of Xanax prescription pills.
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According to NBPD, Gnann committed another aggravated assault at a hair salon next door before he got into a Lyft.
Police said the Lyft driver noticed the police activity and realized something was up, so when they dropped Gnann off a short distance away, they called police, and Gnann was taken into custody with the help of the Atlantic Beach Police Department a short time later.
Gnann was arrested and charged with armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a controlled substance.