The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit is investigating an alleged home invasion and robbery that occurred in Ponte Vedra Beach Monday night.
Shortly before midnight Jan. 9, deputies responded to call from the 100 block of Great Harbor Way, where a couple reported answering a knock on their door, where they were confronted by two black males armed with handguns. The suspects, described as wearing camouflage clothing, forcibly entered the residence and ordered the couple to stay in a certain part of the home while the suspects gathered property.
Sometime later, the victims told detectives, a third black male suspect arrived holding another victim at gunpoint. That victim was later identified as Marcus Anthony Hatch, 16, of Jacksonville. The couples’ roommate then arrived home and was also held at gunpoint.
As the suspects prepared to leave, they allegedly bound the three residents and left in the couple’s car – a 2009 Subaru Legacy with Florida “Air Force” tag AKN6Z– taking Hatch with them at gunpoint.
Authorities issued an Amber Alert for Hatch and the Subaru Legacy Tuesday morning. Later that day, the sheriff’s office reported that Hatch had been located in good health in Jacksonville and that investigators were working with him to gather more information on the alleged home invasion and robbery.
The sheriff’s office has also released a photo of a person of interest believed to be driving a white Jeep Cherokee. The individual, seen on video surveillance footage, used one of the victims’ credit cards at two separate gas stations in Ponte Vedra after the incident.