POINCIANA — The normally quiet and laid-back community of Poinciana got a jolt this morning when a man waiting with his daughter at a school bus stop was confronted by two men at gunpoint.
Now detectives with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office are asking for the public to call in any tips and information that could help law enforcement find the men behind this brazen robbery attempt. The case is being classified as both a robbery and attempted carjacking.
Fortunately, the victim and his daughter were able to escape and did not get injured, although the sheriff’s office reported that the two suspects did fire their gun at the man’s car.
Now, the hunt is on for the two men. If caught, they could face life in prison.
“Osceola County Sheriff’s detectives need the public’s help in locating two suspects involved in an attempted carjacking,” noted Twis Lizasuain, public information officer for the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, in her report on the crime.
It happened around 5:35 a.m. today. The sheriff’s office got a call from the man driving the targeted vehicle, and deputies responded to the intersection of Americana Court and San Remo Road in Poinciana.
The victim said he had driven his daughter to the school bus stop, and was waiting there with her for the bus to arrive, when they got assaulted.
The victim “indicated he was waiting in his car with his daughter for her school bus when two unknown black males approached the vehicle at gunpoint,” Lizasuain noted. “One suspect motioned for the victim to get out of the car.”
The man quickly sped off, and managed to escape unharmed, even though his actions promoted the suspects to shoot at them.
“The suspects fired a shot at the car and then fled the area,” Lizasuain reported.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office also released descriptions of the two suspects. One is described as a black man in his early 20s, about 5 foot 6 inches tall, with a thin build. He was wearing a dark-colored shirt and black cap with white letters on it.
The two men were seen driving a dark colored vehicle, possibly a Ford Explorer.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office at 407-348-2222 or to Central Florida Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477). Calls made to Crimeline remain anonymous, and tips that lead to a felony arrest are eligible for cash rewards of up to $1,000.
Poinciana is a community of more than 84,000 residents who live in eight villages crossing Polk and Osceola counties.
In Florida, the crime of carjacking is defined as the use of force, violence, or threats to take a motor vehicle from another person. This crime is classified as a First Degree Felony under Florida’s Criminal Punishment Code.
If a suspect is convicted of carjacking, a judge is required to impose a minimum sentence of 21 months in prison. If a weapon is used in the commission of the carjacking, the crime becomes punishable by up to life in prison.

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