- April 25, 2024
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A teenager who is enrolled in an alternative learning program at the Flagler County Youth Center was arrested Tuesday, Sept. 14, and charged with armed robbery of the GameStop store in Town Center.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about a possible armed robbery at GameStop. The suspect, later identified as Skyler Thomas, 15, walked into GameStop, flashed a black handgun in the waistband of his shorts and demanded the money from the register, according to the arrest report.
Thomas is enrolled in the Rise Up Program, which is an alternative learning program offered at the Flagler County Youth Center, which is co-located on the FPC campus.
The Sheriff’s 911 Dispatch Center received a call from a GameStop employee advising she was uncomfortable with a customer who had a gun. She advised the customer stated, “I’m not going to hurt you, I just want the money in the register.”
She gave the suspect $353 from the register, the arrest report stated.
Upon exiting the front of the school, the School Resource Deputies noticed a white male matching the description of the armed robber walking on the sidewalk in front of the school towards the open front gate.
The employee advised the subject had shown her a gun before demanding money from the register and once she complied the subject left the store.
The Real Time Crime Center was monitoring cameras as the subject left the store and fled towards the east side of the Town Center shopping plaza. The subject was described as a white male with short hair, blue eyes, cargo shorts, and a white tank top.
School resource deputies at Flagler Palm Coast High School heard the call over the radio about the robbery and acted quickly to secure the entrance and monitor the gate area while advising school administration.
Upon exiting the front of the school, the SRD noticed a white male matching the description of the armed robber walking on the sidewalk in front of the school towards the open front gate. Contact was made with the subject by the SRD at the front gate and he was asked to get on the ground and show his hands.
He complied and was secured. At this time, the subject was positively identified as Skyler Thomas.
A search of the suspect was conducted and the firearm used in the robbery was not located. Thomas advised he threw the firearm off the bridge coming from Town Center to FPC and that the firearm was fake and stated he “wasn’t trying to hurt anyone.”
A sum of $353 was recovered in his right rear pocket and the firearm was recovered in a ditch in front of the Olive Garden restaurant. The firearm was confirmed to be a plastic replica handgun.
This is not Thomas’ first encounter with law enforcement. He was charged in 2019 by the Bunnell Police Department for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and conspiracy to commit capital felony – Murder. He participated in a Residential Treatment Program with the Department of Juvenile Justice and was put on probation.
“This kid attempted an armed robbery in the middle of the day and thankfully no one was hurt,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “This kid is on his way to being a lifelong serious criminal. I hope the juvenile justice system can get him turned around before it’s too late and he spends his life in prison or he seriously hurts someone.”
Thomas was arrested and transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility without incident. He’s being charged with armed robbery, petit theft and violation of probation and was turned over to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
