CLEARWATER — A gunman pistol-whipped, shot and robbed a Clearwater man at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and LaSalle Street early Tuesday morning, police said.
Clearwater police arrested 26-year-old Preston Bell, also of Clearwater, on charges of aggravated battery and robbery, after they said he shot 22-year-old Jacob Woods and snatched his wallet around 1:20 a.m.
Badly wounded, Woods ran to the 900 block of Engman Street and reported the clash to officers.
Paramedics rushed Woods to a local hospital, where he was in stable condition Tuesday afternoon.
Police put out an alert for a suspect, but a tip led SWAT officers to Bell later Tuesday at a friend's apartment in the 1600 block of Fulton Street. Bell was arrested without incident around 1 p.m.
Records show Bell was previously arrested in Pinellas and Miami-Dade counties on various charges, including possession of drugs.
Danielle Paquette can be reached at dpaquette@tampabay.com or (727) 445-4224.
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