Seminole Tribe police: Man robbing, battering elderly at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino caught

TAMPA — Seminole Tribe police say they've caught the culprit behind three robberies in the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino parking garage in the last month.

Minutes after a woman who was sitting in car had her purse snatched Wednesday, police say, security officers stopped Ekiel Antel Anderson, 33, of 1008 N Keene Road, Clearwater, in the lobby of the north parking garage.

This was the third robbery in the past 10 days.

According to a Seminole Tribe police report: The elderly woman had been sitting in her car at 5:16 p.m. when a man approached and grabbed her purse.

Then he punched her in the arm to loosen her grip on the steering wheel and snatched the purse, which was wrapped around her arm.

Security stopped Anderson as his car rode into the garage's lobby.

Officers say they saw the purse in the car.

After checking surveillance, Seminole Tribe police also concluded that Anderson was the man who stole two women's purses on July 19 and hit an elderly man in the face and took his wallet on July 24.

Three witnesses identified him as the robber, the police report says.

Anderson is charged with four counts of strong-armed robbery, three counts of grand theft, two counts of battery on a person 65 years or older and burglary of an occupied conveyance.

He was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he is being held without bail.