Man Whacks Elderly Lady Cashier, Stabs Home Depot Worker With Screwdriver After Attempting To Take Off With $1,500 In Merchandise

A Melbourne man has been arrested on Saturday after brutally assaulting store employees of at least two hardware establishments, even stabbing one worker using a screwdriver following his attempts to take off with thousands of dollars in merchandise without payment.

Randall Keith Kearse, 50, has been apprehended Saturday for multiple robbery attempts on a string of stores in West Melbourne and Melbourne, Florida Today reported.

According to a press release from the West Melbourne Police Department, Kearse’s first attempted to rob a Walmart on Palm Bay Road on early Saturday.

The suspect reportedly filled up two carts worth some $1,500 in supplies and merchandise and attempted to exit the store without paying. However, an employee blocked Kearse on his way out.

After a “brief struggle over the merchandise,” the burglar callously punched the employee and immediately left the scene to escape before police were summoned. In the melee, he did not succeed in stealing any Walmart items from his two carts.

However, Kearse then bolted to the Home Depot on U.S. 192 and again picked out items he would attempt to pilfer. Upon again attempting to leave the store without paying, a Home Depot associate, who mentioned that he identified Kearse for prior attempted robberies, confronted and stopped him from fleeing with the items.

A violent tussle quickly ensued with Kearse punching an elderly 74-year-old female cashier in the face and knocking her down to the floor in a burst of violence. The suspect then proceeded to grab a screwdriver from his cart and lunge at another store associate, stabbing the man in the torso.

After the kerfuffle, Kearse still managed to abscond from the scene as he rushed into his white 4 door vehicle and left. He then headed to Best Buy in Melbourne where he managed to take off from the store with stolen “high dollar pieces of electronics,” the release stated.

At around 12:30 p.m. the same day, Melbourne Police Department located Kearse's vehicle on Reddick Street. They successfully seized the suspect and took him into custody.

Kearse, who is being held at the Brevard County Jail without bond, has been charged with armed robbery, robbery, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, two counts of felony battery, grand theft, resisting a merchant, and violation of probation, Click Orlando noted.

According to the West Melbourne Police Department, the felon Kearse has an extensive criminal history in Brevard County, including dealing in stolen property, giving false verification of ownership to pawnbroker, criminal mischief, multiple counts of retail theft, trespass fail to leave property upon warning by the owner, multiple counts of driving while license suspended, and multiple counts of resisting arrest without violence.