Robber killed after stealing UPS truck did similar crime in Lee County in 2008

Reporter: Justin Kase Writer: Jack Lowenstein
Published: Updated:
Lamar Alexander, 41. Credit Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

We learned one of the robber suspects in a police chase that ended in a deadly shootout with robbers who hijacked a UPS truck near Miami has ties to Southwest Florida.

Lamar Alexander is one of the robber suspects killed in the fray of the shootout that ensued with police. Alexander was arrested in 2008 for a jewelry store heist at Bell Tower Shops in south Fort Myers. We learned he was out on probation after serving prison time in Lee County before he committed the crime on the east coast that led to his death and the death of his cousin, robber suspect Ronnie Jerome Hill, a UPS truck driver and a driver caught in the shootout.

MORE: Slain UPS driver’s family questions police response to chase

Almost 11 years ago, Alexander took a plea deal for an armed robbery at Bell Tower. He and a group of others robbed a jewelry store in the shopping mall at gunpoint before leading law enforcement offices on a 50-mile chase on I-75.

“Some can just not be rehabilitated,” said Gene Rewitzer in San Carlos Park. “There are times when it doesn’t work.”

Gunfire was also exchanged by Alexander and the other robbers, with responding officers. The major difference between then and now is no one was killed in that shootout.

“It does hit close to home,” said Karen McCaffrey in Bonita Springs. “I moved down here for the safety factor. So, you know, it’s tough times.”

We reached out to the state attorney’s office to see exactly when Alexander was released from prison for the incident in 2008, but we have not heard back.

Court documents show Alexander would have still been on probation when Thursday’s shooting took place.

“It could happen any time,” Rewitzer said. “Don’t have to be a jewelry store.”

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.